Julian Charrière, Swiss, born 1987
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, 2019
Charrière’s installation addresses the sacrifice zone created by the US nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll. Charrière visited the site and produced a series of photos and videos on land and in the water showing the abandoned atoll. The central image in this picture shows the propeller of the sunken HIJMS Nagato, which was a target in nuclear tests at the site. A large diving bell and bags of ocean-water from the contaminated site both hang from the ceiling, while coconuts encased in lead (both protecting them from nuclear explosions and making them reminiscent of cannonballs) are scattered on the floor. Charrière’s work shows human efforts to dominate and control the environment in his carefully trapped subjects, along with the continued toll from radiation at the site. In doing so, he encapsulates the topics of slow violence and sacrifice zones that result from modern warfare and environmental injustices. Label by Tori Erisman