Sung Tieu's Dual Exhibitions Probe Fracking Infrastructure and Psychological Control
Sung Tieu, an artist originally from Vietnam and now based in Berlin, is showcasing two solo exhibitions: 'Infra-Specter' at Amant in New York and 'Civic Floor' at the MIT List Visual Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 'Infra-Specter' delves into the topic of fracking, featuring the installation 'Liability Infrastructure' (2023), which includes sound sculptures made from Hyundai Steel pipes and audio recordings from fracking locations in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. This exhibition also presents 'Mural for America' (2023), composed of 1,900 steel plaques detailing fracking chemicals, developed in collaboration with Gary Allison and Dusty Horwitt. Notably, it addresses the North Brooklyn Pipeline, which has faced protests since 2017. 'Civic Floor', focusing on psychological discipline through minimalist sculptures, is open until July 16, while 'Infra-Specter' runs until September 10.
Key facts
- Sung Tieu's exhibition 'Infra-Specter' at Amant in New York features 'Liability Infrastructure' (2023), exploring fracking practices through sound sculptures and chemical displays.
- The artist visited fracking sites in Marshall County, West Virginia, and Greene County and Ryerson Station State Park, Pennsylvania, with guidance from FracTracker Alliance.
- 'Mural for America' (2023) consists of 1,900 steel plaques engraved with fracking fluid chemicals, some labeled as proprietary trade secrets.
- Tieu collaborated with data scientist Gary Allison and Physicians for Social Responsibility consultant Dusty Horwitt to analyze FracFocus registry data.
- The North Brooklyn Pipeline, an 11km project by National Grid to transport fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New York, has faced protests since 2017.
- Concurrently, 'Civic Floor' at MIT List Visual Arts Center examines psychological control through sculptures referencing prison design and asylum applications.
- Tieu's 'Newspapers 1969–ongoing' series includes 'There Is Green Gas in Ohio State' (2023), referencing Ohio's reclassification of natural gas as 'green energy'.
- 'Civic Floor' runs through July 16, 2023, while 'Infra-Specter' continues through September 10, 2023.
Entities
Artists
- Sung Tieu
Institutions
- Amant
- MIT List Visual Arts Center
- National Grid
- FracTracker Alliance
- Physicians for Social Responsibility
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Documenta 14
Locations
- Brooklyn
- New York
- United States
- Berlin
- Germany
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
- Marshall County
- Greene County
- Ryerson Station State Park
- Cambridge
- Massachusetts
- Ohio
- Vietnam