Miska Draskoczy
Miska Draskoczy
Gowanus Wild
Hardcover
11.75" x 12.375"
120 pages
Edition of 1000
Published by Unnatural Kingdom
2016
From the artist:
My vision for Gowanus Wild is to illustrate a personal exploration of nature and wilderness in the paradoxical setting of a contaminated industrial environment. As the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn has been declared a federal Superfund cleanup site and seen over 150 years of continuous industrial use, one of my aims with the series is to show just how tenacious nature can be in the face of such grave environmental destruction. Set entirely at night when the area empties of people and activity, the mood is one of stillness, reflection, and discovery.
I’ve lived on the border of Gowanus and Park Slope since 2008, and walking home through the deserted streets, I was always struck by how odd and atmospheric the place felt. At first I photographed the area because it inspired interesting images. Later I started to ask myself more consciously what it was that drew me to it. While an indictment of man’s abuse of the environment is perhaps inevitable, my goal is to not just celebrate nature’s resilience but to also show how it is paralleled by the human ability to seek and find the balm of nature in the most unlikely of places. I believe wilderness and adventure are natural longings and that satisfying these urges is perhaps less about far flung travel and more about altering our perception and awakening to our surroundings, however ugly or distraught they may be.
Book review by Tim Hodge |
Miska Draskoczy’s Gowanus Wild (118pgs) is a sizeable tome with a surprisingly subdued presence. Few books come with a more perfect set of instructions on how best to enjoy them, “for all those who wander, with wide eyes and open heart”. I immediately took these words as my compass.
Located on the westside of Brooklyn in New York City, the Gowanus Canal is a unique place in a city made of them. Most famous for its horrific pollution, the Gothamist reported a “black mayonnaise” came up in recent dredging, the Canal is a place of multiplicity: industrial works butt up against high-end condos and Whole Foods as well as old homes and corner bodegas.
Draskoczy steps back and explores this challenging place with a sense of wonder and compassion. The Gowanus Canal has long been a challenged and scarred place however in Gowanus Wild it can be seen for the beauty of it as it is, not as we may wish it to be. I highly recommend losing yourself in the imagery and poetry.
Though the book itself is imposing, one can feel the weight and gravitas of its intersection of art and environment, Gowanus Wild has the intimacy of a late-night wander through the New York city. It is a perfect book for someone who yearns to a nocturnal traveler, wandering the city, searching for its secrets in the darkness of night.
