Water Cargo (2012) and Petrol Cargo (2012) explore the exploitation of petrol reserves discovered in Africa and the contamination of the subsurface geology, which has compromised the local sources of drinking water, leaving them unsafe for human consumption and the overall destruction of the natural cycles of life.
As Hazoumè notes, ‘We’ve become accustomed, today, to think of oil as the source of fabulous wealth. Here, I want to add another counterpoint. Water, pure, fresh water, something that few people think about, is also an incredibly important source of riches, indispensably vital to life, and one that is destined to become scarcer and therefore increase in value if we continue along our current course. So, I’ve made these two installations to set the two systems in counter-balance with each other. Using local developments in Benin, it’s possible to compare the two side by side, analysing the means by which they are transported and delivered from source to user, using cargo-carriers of water and petrol.’