Rommy Torrico, Chilean-American
Our Mountains are Sick! But We are Strong, 2019
The print was created by Rommy Torrico for Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, and the print depicts the stark reality of mountaintop-removal coal mining. Within the print, extractive industries are clearly illustrated through the silhouettes of machinery dislodging rocks, as bits of the rock skitter into a deep abyss. We even see birds take flight away from the machinery, soaring towards the solace of a still-standing mountain. However, even with the threat of extraction so clearly shown, resilience proudly filters through the discouraging images. The green mountains stand stoic and tall in the background, and the faces of protestors are still visible through coal slurry in the forefront of the image. The mountains and protestors all seem to echo the sentiment—“But We Are Strong.” Label by Eliza Madison