This work by Jessica Stockholder features a canvas tarp and sheet of lokta paper hung on a wall behind a moving pallet on the floor, stacked with a car mat, plastic tarp, and an under pad for a rug. The lokta paper features a poem by the artist, rendered in iron on letters. The piece belongs to Stockholder’s Text / Poetry series, but is also an extension of ideas that are critical to some of her other series, such as Assists, and AB Photos with EWaste, which place seemingly disparate two and three-dimensional elements in conversation with each other in order to make a “painting in space.”

The written poetry in this piece evokes the same sort of free associative vibe as the rest of the work, inviting viewers to make their own connections and construct their own meaning. The line “innards in plastics shrine” draws parallels with Stockholder’s ongoing inquisition into the production and consumption habits of human society, particularly in regards to plastic and electronic waste. Stockholder’s work bridges abstract aesthetic theories with critical social and political issues, sparking conversations about the crucial and lasting importance of politics within abstract art.