“L’Essence”

This 2007 sculptural object by artist Jimmie Durham is a bold assemblage of red oil drums, canvas, acrylic, PVC and an old wooden boat the artist found in Lisbon, Portugal. The title “L’essence” is the French word for gasoline. The boat seems to be afloat atop the metal oil barrels. The artwork is currently on view at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, part of a retrospective of Durham’s work.