Polluted Mother

Unfired clay, wood, video in loop 2’11”, 212cm x 94cm

My Dordrecht mother made from contaminated clay, excavated under the smoke of the Chemours factory. The drone images of the excavation of the clay with a view of the Chemour factory are projected behind the statue. After the exhibition, the statue was returned to the same place where the clay came from.

Made in collaboration with ceramist Alexander Lichtveld, in honor of 250 years of the Pictura Drawing Society in Dordrecht, at the Escalate exhibition.

Chemical factory Chemours has been illegally discharging the life-threatening PFAS for decades. Extremely high levels of PFAS are found in the blood and breast milk of local residents. Some people are critically ill, others have reduced fertility. In the water around the Chemiefabriek Chemours, 12,000 times more PFAS were found than permitted. Local residents, including my mother, can no longer eat eggs or vegetables from the area.

With support of: my mother Annemoon Mulder, Alexander Lichtveld, Berend Langendijk, Frank and the exhibition committee of Pictura Dordrecht.