Sturgeon addresses the degradation of marine life caused by pollution, overfishing, and industrial exploitation. The sculpture depicts a sturgeon made from welded bolts and nuts, its metallic form symbolizing the weight of industry on fragile ecosystems. Once abundant in the Caspian Sea, sturgeons are now endangered, their populations devastated by caviar harvesting—“black gold”—and the contamination of their waters.
An oil pump and circulating hoses move used oil through the sculpture’s fins, while a barrel filled with waste oil supports the work, underscoring the toxic entanglement of industry and environment.
The piece is rooted in a childhood memory of witnessing fishermen extract caviar and discard still-living sturgeons back into the river, a haunting moment that now resonates with ecological urgency. By transforming discarded industrial materials into the image of a threatened species, Sturgeon becomes both memorial and warning—inviting reflection on human complicity, the fragility of marine ecosystems, and the possibility of transformation amid destruction.
