MARIA ÅNGERMAN: WRETCHED GROUND Tuomittu maa, Fördömd jord

The exhibition “Wretched Ground” is based on several photographic and filmic investigations carried out in the intertidal zone, in response to the ecological challenges surrounding the city of Saint-Louis in Senegal. The rising sea level and flooding from the Senegal River pose significant threats to the city, especially its central part located on an island protected from the sea by a sandbank, as well as this densely populated sandbank.

Several photo collage series are based on images of debris found in the intertidal zone – seemingly inanimate materials, such as parts of deceased sea animals, plants or artificial objects. As the works focused on this specific terrain, it was impossible to overlook the inadequate waste management. But instead of getting stuck on the problem, collagen suggests the emergence of new life forms. Collagen reflects survival, our connection with nature and how the synthetic material we leave behind becomes part of our own existence.