Nicola Vassell is pleased to present Elizabeth Schwaiger at Independent, New York. In this new body of work, Elizabeth Schwaiger reflects on her experience at the Robert Rauschenberg Residency in Captiva, Florida and the subsequent impact of Hurricane Ian on the Foundation in 2022.
Captiva is an island constantly in peril due to its low-lying elevation and rising sea levels. While there in 2019, Schwaiger communed with the land and legacy of Rauschenberg’s studio. When it rained, the campus’ lawns were easily water-logged and lay sodden. She imagined the damage that a hurricane might cause, almost prophetically, and became preoccupied with both its material and immaterial impacts. More broadly, Schwaiger considers the increasing number of natural disasters taking place across the globe and the existential threat that extreme weather poses to humankind and ecosystems.
