“Texas” Wonocolo, Bojonegoro is a traditional oil mine in East Java, Indonesia. The mines were initially built by the Dutch colonialists and were abandoned during the Japanese Occupation. After Indonesia’s independence, the locals convinced the government to revive the oil mines and took ownership of them. While seeing this as a symbol of sovereignty as compared to other mines that were owned by large foreign corporations, the government is in the midst of implementing policies and regulations to mitigate the environmental impacts of excessive mining by the locals. Maryanto visited the mines while pursuing his research interest in oil mining in Indonesia and Nigeria, and created works that were shown in the Yogyarkarta Biennale 2015 and Jakarta Biennale 2015.

This work revisits the research with a new perspective and is presented in a new context with these other thematic works. Wonocolo is a commentary on the industries and its impacts on the environment, along with complications and intricacies when dealing within these issues. The work is foregrounded by industrial equipment and pipes rendered in a photo-realistic style that creates a sense of depth in the work, immersing the viewers into the scene. While human figures are not present and actively working, the empty shelters and equipment found in the background hints at the operations of heavy industrial activities. The darkness of this painting in this case is an accurate representation of the mining sites, covered in slick black oil as it spews out from the oil pumps on to the ground. This work prods the audience to reflect on a tenuous issue, as mining has become an important source of income for the locals and created many jobs for them, yet it is a double-edged sword as it strains the environment from these human activities. The situation is now facing a forked path that is dependent on the government’s policies and ability to manage the situation.