Anchored by large-format imagery from Bears Ears National Monument, Fazal Sheikh’s exhibition at Denver Art Museum explores the dichotomy of beauty and destruction in the Southwest.
Fazal Sheikh: Thirst / Exposure / In Place
March 10–October 20, 2024
Denver Art Museum
The dozens of photographs in Fazal Sheikh: Thirst / Exposure / In Place bear a poignant narrative structure, complete with a central conflict—between the natural beauty of arid landscapes and the human forces that wreak havoc upon them. First, in a section called “Thirst,” the viewer takes in the devastation from climate change and toxic dumping at the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Not only is the shoreline being compromised, but hypersalinity is turning much of the lakebed red. Second, in “Exposure,” the human toll of extractive industries, particularly coal and uranium mining, comes into focus. Aerial views of the Four Corners region reveal the many scars upon the land from attempts to cover hazardous-waste pits, not to mention the ugly vestiges of present-day industries. The color photographs share space with black-and-white portraits of Native American residents of the area; their testimonials on the accompanying wall texts provide ample evidence of mining’s impacts on physical and emotional health.
But the climax of the exhibition is “In Place,” an almost fully enclosed room with more than sixty aerial and close-up landscapes amassed on four walls, all taken at Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. It’s here that the viewer comes to understand all that is at stake in what Sheikh has characterized as an “aggression” upon the land. Shown in its natural state, the vibrant area brims with a diversity of flora and geological formations.
The immersive quality of “In Place” is complemented by a subtle soundscape reproducing rock vibrations in the region. In the center of the room, on a pedestal, Diné spiritual adviser Jonah Yellowman has provided an offering of corn and other objects, underscoring the sacred nature of the Four Corners region. Interestingly, the pedestal stood empty when a portion of this exhibition was shown at the Yale University Art Gallery in 2022. Curators sparked controversy when they deemed it, in consultation with area Indigenous representatives, a misappropriation of religious objects and decided not to display them. Sheikh and Yellowman disagreed with the decision.
It’s important to note Sheikh’s commitment to research and to collaborating with scientists, writers, and tribal communities to honestly portray this dichotomy of beauty and destruction in the Southwest, in keeping with the best of documentary photography. His passion for volatile subjects is admirable, even when resolutions to the problems don’t come easily.
