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.

People climbing “Trumps wall” between the Mexican and USA border.

***The Wall***
2019
Wooden wall 12 x 4 m wall.
Wooden “Pinata” 9 x 6,5 x 2,5 m covered with +- 250 pieces of various kinds of textile.
Black rock city desert (USA)

***The Wall***
2023
120 x 160 cm
Corten steel framework.
600 authentic medical tubes, filled with clothing and DNA of the installation created in 2019.
2 pieces of burned wood 130 x 5 x 5 cm.

THE WAR ON DRUGS (2019)

Tom Herck’s piñata sculptures serve as powerful symbols of the ongoing drug war, particularly between the U.S. and Mexico. Unlike traditional piñatas, these sculptures are hard to destroy, symbolizing the enduring nature of the drug crisis.

The police baton used to strike the piñata is made from a vulnerable material—if it were to hit the concrete piñata, it would break. This acts as a metaphor for the "War on Drugs"—violence cannot solve the issue; it’s a problem that cannot be stopped by force alone.

The piñata stands on a munitions box, referencing cartel violence and the link between arms and drug trafficking. Coins featuring Richard Nixon and Mexico’s eagle symbolize the money spent on the drug war and the historical and geopolitical factors shaping the trade. The piñata also alludes to drug mules—both a symbol of the people carrying drugs and the role of the piñata in transporting goods. Filled with coca leaves instead of candy, the piñatas challenge conventional views on the drug war.