Lisa Barnard - The Canary and the Hammer
With The Canary and the Hammer, Fotomuseum Den Haag presents the first museum exhibition of the British photographer Lisa Barnard (UK, 1967). The Canary and the Hammer is a documentary photography project in which Barnard exposes the role of gold in the capitalist system.
The financial crisis of 2008 prompted her to explore her curiosity about this important metal: when the economy takes a downturn, gold retains its value.
Barnard travelled to several continents to document gold mining and the uses to which this precious metal is put. In Peru she photographed women working in gold mines under dangerous conditions. She visited leading medical laboratories and space institutes around the world to show how gold is an essential part of new technologies. And in Hong Kong she photographed dumping grounds where consumer products are dismantled to extract the gold they contain. The project addresses themes such as colonialism, capitalism, feminism and climate issues. Barnard’s photographs are characterised by a contemporary, colourful visual language.