Oil Drum Art: Culture: mensvogue.com

Men's Vogue > Culture

Print E-Mail Share

art + design

A Different Drum: With crude prices plunging and the economy in turmoil, what does a 55-gallon oil drum mean to you? The Connecticut conceptualist Jack Lardis has been asking this question of artists and citizens since 9/11, when he began to recognize the oil drum as a loaded symbol of modern life. In 2003, Lardis followed that thought with a not-for-profit organization, Oil Drum Art Inc., which essentially began a dialogue between art and society. "Our exhibitions really deal with the issues at hand: the environment, global warming, the energy crises, our carbon footprint, the war in the Middle East," says Lardis who has seen his vision grow into over 200 works of oil drum art, which have been displayed in exhibitions throughout the Northeast. The creations range from the angry — an oil drum painted to resemble a roll of twenty-dollar bills called "Big Money," — to the abstract — an amalgamation of stacked and shredded drums called "The Ladder." The most recent show is at the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, CT through October 5. Visit oildrumart.org for more information. By Liz McDaniel (Photos courtesy of Oil Drum Art Inc.)