Opening Reception: Human Energy & 10 Billion Barrels

This fall, Smack Mellon presents its annual Close Readings exhibition series, which launched in 2022. In this series, Smack Mellon presents a new commission by an under-recognized, early- to mid-career artist in Gallery One, accompanied by an exhibition in Gallery Two that employs the central commission as the curatorial framework. This program extends our support for interdisciplinary artists by fostering dialogues around their practices, in addition to facilitating the realization of ambitious, site-specific projects.

Smack Mellon presents a new commission by Jessica Segall, unfolding as a multi-channel video installation featuring sound design by DJ, producer, and Berghain resident Steffi, and sculptural elements that mimic the design of oil field pipeline expansion loops. Exploring humanity’s addictive and intimate relationship with oil, the videos document the largest extractive zones in the US—the oil fields in Kern County, California, as well as Soviet-era spas in Naftalan, Azerbaijan–where crude oil is used medicinally and the claims of its healing properties date back centuries. The installation situates Segall’s research within Smack Mellon’s aging architecture—a nineteenth-century boiler space—which once provided fuel and power for the entire neighborhood.

Delving deeper into the themes introduced by Jessica Segall’s installation, the upcoming exhibition in the back gallery brings together the works of artists dean erdmann, fields harrington and Rebecca Shapass. It focuses on the intricate interplay between humanity’s historical resource extraction constructs, the resulting ecological landscape, the nuanced subtleties of addiction, and the intriguing alignment of queer desires within the realms of environmental preservation and ecological fetishism. The title is an homage to Nancy Holt’s work “10 Billion Barrels of Crude Oil,” serving to acknowledge her consideration of land as a resource. Holt’s concrete poem, crafted in 1986 in response to an invitation from the Visual Arts Center in Anchorage, Alaska, is a testament to her encounter with the Trans-Alaska pipeline, which left a lasting impact due to its visual effect on the Alaskan landscape. Within the design of her concrete poem, Holt not only charts the pipeline’s trajectory but also presents a wealth of data and vivid details, offering a unique perspective on its materiality and presence.Delving deeper into the themes introduced by Jessica Segall’s installation, the upcoming exhibition in the back gallery brings together the works of artists dean erdmann, fields harrington and Rebecca Shapass. It focuses on the intricate interplay between humanity’s historical resource extraction constructs, the resulting ecological landscape, the nuanced subtleties of addiction, and the intriguing alignment of queer desires within the realms of environmental preservation and ecological fetishism. The title is an homage to Nancy Holt’s work “10 Billion Barrels of Crude Oil,” serving to acknowledge her consideration of land as a resource. Holt’s concrete poem, crafted in 1986 in response to an invitation from the Visual Arts Center in Anchorage, Alaska, is a testament to her encounter with the Trans-Alaska pipeline, which left a lasting impact due to its visual effect on the Alaskan landscape. Within the design of her concrete poem, Holt not only charts the pipeline’s trajectory but also presents a wealth of data and vivid details, offering a unique perspective on its materiality and presence.