Whirlpool
Whirlpool
Jim Goldberg
This project, Whirlpool, began in 2019 from a commission by the High Museum of Art as part of their Picturing the South collection. The Obscura Curated commission has allowed me to continue this project and go deeper.
I worked in a small, racially mixed, and working-class town by the name of Augusta, AR. Located along the White River in Arkansas’s Delta region, its heyday had long passed with the gradual decline of steamships and use of the river. I was fascinated by the small-town life and its history, the landscape, the hunting culture, the complicated familial ties, and the delicate dynamics of race and economic status that lived there. It was complex and stood out to me as a true reflection of contemporary American consciousness at this moment.
The work received its name from the White River, which at one time was the lifeblood of Augusta. In the river, many literal and metaphoric whirlpools are created by opposing currents, and tensions within the community and in the country at large.
ALL SEASON 1 COMMISSIONS ARE SOLD OUT. Thank you to our collectors.
Claim is ongoing to all Curated Season Pass Holders.
Whirlpool #1 B&M Auto Parts by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #2 Bobby by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #3 Kibbs by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #4 President's Day II by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #5 "Suburbs" by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #6 February 19 by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #7 Boy Collecting Cans by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #8 Kensea by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #9 Norfork Lake by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #10 Hunting Lodge by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #11 Hunter and Snow Geese He Killed that Day by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #12 Delorise by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #13 Patricia Dell by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #14 Preacher's Son by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #15 Camella and Cortnie by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #16 Jim, Wildlife Sports Bar and Grill by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #17 Bartender the the Wildlife Sports Bar and Grill by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #18 Route 79 by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #19 Man With Cane by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #20 Basketball Game by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #21 Sunday Services, Northside Church of Christ by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #22 Berry Pie by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #23 The Art Center of the Grand Prairie by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #24 Controlled Burn by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #25 Birds by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #26 Counting Ducks by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #27 Tagging, Strait Lake Lodge, Pumpkin Bend by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #28 Me + Lil Bit by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #29 Sandra by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #30 Model Church by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #31 James by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #32 President's Day I by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #33 Police Chief by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #34 David by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #35 Katina's House by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #36 Jame's House by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #37 Jackie Dancing by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #38 Calvin's Puzzle by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #39 Ice Storm by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #40 Harry Saul Minnow Farm by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #41 George Paul Eldridge Jr. by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #42 Foal by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #43 George by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #44 Dining Room by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #45 Mad Dog's Auntie by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #46 Jackie by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #47 Bobby's Twinky by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #48 Zion by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #49 AG by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #50 Kita by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #51 Gayne Preller Archard Schmidt by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #52 Gayne by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #53 Gayne's Wedding Dress by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #54 Abandoned Home by Jim Goldberg
Whirlpool #55 Melissa, Jess Norman Post 166 American Legion Hut by Jim Goldberg