THE WALL (2023)

This work builds on Tom Herck’s original installation The Wall at Burning Man—a nine-meter-high piece referencing Trump’s proposed border wall. A giant piñata stood before the wall, covered in clothing worn by festival-goers. These garments held real traces of human DNA, capturing the presence of individuals with diverse political views. The message: even in polarized times, dialogue is essential. Our DNA doesn’t show our beliefs—only that we are human.

After the installation was burned, the clothing was sent to Herck’s studio in Belgium. Four years later, he created a follow-up piece using corten steel, echoing the material of Trump’s wall. Medical tubes, typically used for blood collection, were filled with fabric remnants from the original work. The holes drilled into the steel plates—where the tubes are placed—are made at random, mirroring the randomness of the human DNA found in the clothing. It reflects the unpredictability and randomness of who reaches the wall, and who gets to make it through.