Léo Zhang
map 1 2023
xerox transfer on recycled receipt paper, plexiglass, nuts and bolts
10 x 14 in
For pricing, please reach out to the artist
This piece was part of a larger series that delved more into the specifics of corporate exploitation and the confusing notion of individual responsibility.
This is a to-scale map of all the foreign-owned mines in Namibia. Most of these mines were opened during colonization and under the apartheid regime. In the present day, significantly more mines are owned by foreign bodies than by national Namibia ones so there exists an extractive nature of this industry by nature.
The receipts are a way for us to hold ourselves accountable to the actions of our lives, how we vote with our dollars.
For my identity too, as a Chinese person born and raised in Namibia, many of these mines acquired were by Chinese companies. My position as a Chinese person in Namibia creates tension and even though I have nothing to do with the mining industry, there is a level of collective accountability that exists with my presence.