Monument to a Disappearing Monument

The oil-driven city of Stavanger was hit hard by the steep drop in oil prices seen globally in 2016. In this work, Australian artist Fintan Magee calls attention to the impact of this unfolding crisis for the local working class. This site-specific work is one of the largest murals in the city, spanning across two 32-meter silos in the soon-to-be demolished industrial district.

In a very literal translation of the discussion, Magee photographed a local oil worker, and set about creating this diptych – one half a portrait, and the other a fading reflection of the original. In a show of solidarity, Magee’s piece underlines the precarious economic future of the working class.