API 21931656 Levelland, TX 2012

Mishka Henner made this image, API 21931656 Levelland, TX, using satellite photography. Isn’t it amazing how a tool designed for surveillance can create such painterly effects? I love the way the muted colours, almost like faded denim, create this sense of flatness. It’s like looking at an abstract expressionist painting, except instead of gestural brushstrokes we’re seeing the patterns of human intervention on the land. The lone pumpjack sits there, like a dark mark against the expanse of the earth, a brutal reminder of our impact. The image reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin, in the sense that it encourages a slower way of seeing. Both artists make us consider the traces we leave behind and question the idea of progress. Are we really moving forward, or just making a mess?