Richard Misrach: Petrochemical America

A poetic documentation of the communities and land around Cancer Alley, an industrial corridor stretching from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, the location of more than a hundred petrochemical refineries.

Color photograph of a still lake containing broken-off tree stumps and surrounded by greenery

Color photograph of a white crucifix with attached figure of Christ rising above smaller graves with power plant buildings in the background

Color photograph of a decrepit trailer home on stilts standing above a shore filled with trash

Color photograph of a water-filled ditch before a wide grassy meadow with a single cow on the horizon

Color photograph of a simple white clapboard church with two low square belltowers

Color photograph of two birds sitting in the branches of a dead tree amid broken off stumps in standing water

Color photograph of a woman peering through a light-filled window in a foyer

Color photograph of a white room with Neo-Classical detailing containing a beige sofa and dark wooden grand piano

Color photograph of a chain-link fence and ajar gate in standing water through a gray-green haze

Color photograph of a large leafy plant running along a water-filled ditch in front of a haze-covered power plant

Color photograph of a person standing on a shore of an industrial waterway with a passing cargo ship and power plant on the horizon

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Richard Misrach: Petrochemical America

Richard MisrachBatture, North of Port Allen, Louisiana

1998

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

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Richard MisrachHoly Rosary Cemetery and Union Carbide Complex, Taft, Louisiana

1998

pigment print, 20 x 24 inches (mount) [50.8 x 61 cm]

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Richard MisrachAbandoned Trailer Home, Mississippi River, near Dow Chemical Plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana

1998

pigment print, 30 x 37 inches (mount) [76.2 x 94.0 cm]

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Richard MisrachHelicopter Returning From Deep Water Horizon Spill, Venice, Louisiana

2010

pigment print, 20 x 24 inches (mount) [50.8 x 61 cm]

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Richard MisrachBaptist Church, River Road, St. James, Louisiana

1998

pigment print, 30 x 37 inches (mount) [76.2 x 94.0 cm]

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Richard MisrachCypress Tree, Alligator Bayou

1998

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

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Richard MisrachTour Guide, Nottoway Plantation, White Castle, Louisiana

1998

pigment print, 20 x 24 inches (mount) [50.8 x 61 cm]

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Richard MisrachNottoway Plantation, Interior, Louisiana

1998

pigment print, 20 x 24 inches (mount) [50.8 x 61 cm]

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Richard MisrachHazardous Waste Containment Site, Dow Chemical Corporation, Plaquemine, Louisiana

1998

pigment print, 20 x 24 inches (mount) [50.8 x 61 cm]

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Richard MisrachRoadside Vegetation and Orion Refining Corporation, Good Hope, Louisiana

1998

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

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Richard MisrachNight Fishing, near Bonnet Carré Spillway, Louisiana

1998

pigment print, 20 x 24 inches (sheet & mount) [50.8 x 61 cm]

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Related Portfolios

Color photograph of cargo ships on the water with a large cloud of fog looming on horizon

Richard Misrach: Cargo Ships

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Richard Misrach: Cargo Ships

Richard Misrach recently documented cargo ships in the San Francisco Bay, during a critical moment for the global shipping industry. Made in the light of early morning or late afternoon, Misrach’s images suggest a comparison to J.M.W Turner’s atmospheric maritime paintings, and recall the careful observation of the sky and water in Misrach’s own “Golden Gate” series.

Color photograph of cargo ships in the water around sunrise — Richard Misrach, Cargo Ships (January 11, 2022, 5:02pm), 2022

pigment print, 59-1/2 x 79-1/8 inches (image, sheet & mount)

Color photograph of a cargo ship moving across the water around sunrise — Richard Misrach, Cargo Ships (January 14, 2022 6:51 am), 2022

pigment print, 59-1/2 x 79-1/8 inches (image, sheet & mount)

Color photograph of cargo ships on the water during a sunrise — Richard Misrach, Cargo Ships (November 22, 2021 6:41 am), 2022

pigment print, 59-1/2 x 79-1/8 inches (image, sheet & mount) [151.1 x 201.1 cm]

Color photograph of cargo ships on the water during an overcast morning — Richard Misrach, Cargo Ships (November 20, 2021 6:33 am), 2022

pigment print, 59-1/2 x 79-1/8 inches (image, sheet & mount) [151.1 x 201.1 cm]

Richard MisrachCargo Ships (January 11, 2022, 5:02pm)

2022

pigment print, 59-1/2 x 79-1/8 inches (image, sheet & mount)

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Richard MisrachCargo Ships (January 14, 2022 6:51 am)

2022

pigment print, 59-1/2 x 79-1/8 inches (image, sheet & mount)

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Richard MisrachCargo Ships (January 8, 2022, 7:37am)

2022

pigment print, 59-1/2 x 79-1/8 inches (image, sheet & mount) [151.1 x 201.1 cm]

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Richard MisrachCargo Ships (November 22, 2021 6:41 am)

2022

pigment print, 59-1/2 x 79-1/8 inches (image, sheet & mount) [151.1 x 201.1 cm]

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Richard MisrachCargo Ships (November 20, 2021 6:33 am)

2022

pigment print, 59-1/2 x 79-1/8 inches (image, sheet & mount) [151.1 x 201.1 cm]

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Color photograph of a couple embracing in an expanse of water.

Richard Misrach: On The Beach 2.0

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Richard Misrach: On The Beach 2.0

An ongoing series exploring the abstracted pattern of an edgeless ocean surface, and the gestures and expressions of bathers adrift in the water.

Framed color photograph of a surfer falling in the breaking wave. — Richard Misrach, Icarus Suite #91, 2016

pigment print, 47 x 122 inches (framed) [119.4 x 309.9 cm]

Color photograph of a lone windsurfer on a choppy silver sea — Richard Misrach, Windsurfer, Hawaii, 2008

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

Color photograph of ocean water being reflected by the sun framed in bleached wood frame — Richard Misrach, Untitled (January 29, 2018, 3:13PM), 2018

pigment print, 62-1/2 × 116-1/2 inches (framed) [158.8 × 295.9 cm]

Color aerial photograph of water framed in bleached wood — Richard Misrach, Sea #7, 2021

pigment print, 52-1/4 x 77-1/4 inches (framed) [133 x 196 cm]

Color photograph of two people in water doing acrobats taken from above in bleached wooden frame — Richard Misrach, Untitled (Acrobat Super Grid #8), 2012

pigment print, 63-5/8 x 83-5/8 inches (framed) [161.6 x 212.4 cm]

Color photograph of small waves and ripples on the surface of green water — Richard Misrach, Untitled (November 18, 2013, 4:00PM), 2013

pigment print, 60-3/4 x 122 inches (framed) [154.3 x 310.0cm]

Color photograph of two men standing in knee-deep water near the shore of a calm sea — Richard Misrach, Untitled (November 10, 2012 5:53PM), 2012

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

Color photograph of two women floating while holding hands on a calm, green ocean surface — Richard Misrach, Untitled (July 26, 2013, 5:21PM), 2013

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

Color long-exposure blurred photograph of a sandy beach with rocks, two people, and moving waves — Richard Misrach, Untitled (January 17, 2015 6:36PM)

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

Color photograph of ripples and waves on the dark green surface of a sea — Richard Misrach, Untitled (Blackwater 7), 2013

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

Richard MisrachUntitled (November 11, 2012 12:26 PM) [The Kiss #2] framed

2012

pigment print, 63-1/2 x 82-7/8 inches (framed) [161.3 x 210.5 cm]

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Richard MisrachIcarus Suite #91

2016

pigment print, 47 x 122 inches (framed) [119.4 x 309.9 cm]

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Richard MisrachWindsurfer, Hawaii

2008

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

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Richard MisrachUntitled (January 29, 2018, 3:13PM)

2018

pigment print, 62-1/2 × 116-1/2 inches (framed) [158.8 × 295.9 cm]

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Richard MisrachSea #7

2021

pigment print, 52-1/4 x 77-1/4 inches (framed) [133 x 196 cm]

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Richard MisrachUntitled (Acrobat Super Grid #8)

2012

pigment print, 63-5/8 x 83-5/8 inches (framed) [161.6 x 212.4 cm]

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Richard MisrachUntitled (November 18, 2013, 4:00PM)

2013

pigment print, 60-3/4 x 122 inches (framed) [154.3 x 310.0cm]

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Richard MisrachUntitled (November 10, 2012 5:53PM)

2012

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

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Richard MisrachUntitled (July 26, 2013, 5:21PM)

2013

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

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Richard MisrachUntitled (January 17, 2015 6:36PM)

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

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Richard MisrachUntitled (Blackwater 7)

2013

pigment print, 62-3/4 x 82-3/4 inches (framed) [159.4 x 210.2 cm]

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Color photograph of a tall metal and concrete fence receding into the misty horizon on the right

Richard Misrach: Border Cantos

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Richard Misrach: Border Cantos

This latest installation in Misrach’s ongoing Desert Cantos series explores the entire length of the US/Mexico border, in photographs made with a large-format camera as well as images captured with an iPhone.

Color photograph of a segment of tall metal fence in the middle of a bare field — Richard Misrach, Wall, Near Los Indios, Texas, 2015

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

Color photograph of a metal fence running over a landscape of rocky hills and low green bushes into the horizon — Richard Misrach, Wall, Tierra Del Sol, California, 2015

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

Color photograph of a tall metal fence segment ending in a bare dirt patch among low-lying trees and plants — Richard Misrach, Wall, Brownsville, Texas, 2015

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

Color photograph of a metal fence made of X-shaped crossbars running through a hilly desert landscape — Richard Misrach, Normandy Wall Near Ocotillo, California, 2015

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

Color photograph of a tattered blue flag standing next to a blue barrel marked AGUA in a desert landscape — Richard Misrach, Agua#1, near Calexico, California, 2014

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

Color photograph of a tall metal fence running into the ocean from the beach, with beach goers visible through the bars — Richard Misrach, Playas de Tijuana #1 (Crowded Beach), San Diego, California, 2013

pigment print, 45 x 161-1/2 inches (framed) [114.3 x 410.2 cm]

Color photograph of scattered red ammunition casings lying on a bare cracked ground — Richard Misrach, Shell Casings #36, near Gulf of Mexico, Texas, 2014

pigment print, 17-1/2 x 22-1/2 inches (framed) [44.5 x 57.2 cm]

Color photograph of a woman looking through and obscured by a metal lattice and fence posts — Richard Misrach, Veronical, Friendship Circle, San Diego, California, 2013

pigment print, 80-3/4 x 61 inches (framed) [213.5 x 163 cm]

Richard MisrachPost and Wire Mesh Fence, Douglas, Arizona

2015

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

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Richard MisrachWall, Near Los Indios, Texas

2015

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

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Richard MisrachWall, Tierra Del Sol, California

2015

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

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Richard MisrachWall, Brownsville, Texas

2015

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

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Richard MisrachNormandy Wall Near Ocotillo, California

2015

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

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Richard MisrachAgua#1, near Calexico, California

2014

pigment print, 61 x 80-3/4 inches (framed) [154.9 x 205.1 cm]

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Richard MisrachPlayas de Tijuana #1 (Crowded Beach), San Diego, California

2013

pigment print, 45 x 161-1/2 inches (framed) [114.3 x 410.2 cm]

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Richard MisrachShell Casings #36, near Gulf of Mexico, Texas

2014

pigment print, 17-1/2 x 22-1/2 inches (framed) [44.5 x 57.2 cm]

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Richard MisrachVeronical, Friendship Circle, San Diego, California

2013

pigment print, 80-3/4 x 61 inches (framed) [213.5 x 163 cm]

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Framed color photograph of the seashore, with people in the water and on the sand

Richard Misrach: On the Beach

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Richard Misrach: On the Beach

Photographed from a distant, raised vantage point, Misrach’s images pose the mote-sized human figure against a looming and abstract pattern of sand and ocean waves, exploring the tension between control and release.