Description
‘Superfund’ by David Polka
Artist: David Polka
Title: ‘Superfund’
Medium: Ink on Bristol Board
Dimensions: 12″ x 12″
Framing: Unframed
Year of Creation: 2019
About the Artwork:
“Superfund is a meditation on the legacy of industrial pollution in the Bay Area. Starting with the dumping of mercury-tainted waste products from gold mining in the 1800s, the San Francisco Bay has been accumulating sewage, toxic waste, and garbage for over a century. Former industrial sites saturated with carcinogenic substances are scattered throughout the United States, the worst of these have been designated by the federal government as Superfund Sites. Despite the name, the cleanup of these sites is woefully underfunded, and many are located dangerously close to residential areas and vital wildlife habitats. This drawing is a highly abstracted depiction of toxic waste seeping into the soil and groundwater, leaving a poisonous legacy that affects human, plant, and animal life.” – David Polka
About the Artist:
(Artist Bio)
David Polka is a visual artist and graphic designer currently based in Oakland, CA. Originally from Las Cruces, New Mexico, he moved to the East Bay 8 years ago to immerse himself in the area’s thriving art scene. His practice includes illustration, large scale public murals, and installation. A graduate of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, he has been exhibiting work professionally since 2006 in group and solo exhibitions across the US in Oakland, San Francisco, Boulder, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Anchorage.