C Mag

What is Left
Ts̱ēmā

What is Left is a cluster of Canada’s now-defunct 1¢ copper coins, melted to their core material—and burnished by hand. Resembling naturally-occurring copper nuggets, What is Left suggests a transformation of the metal back to its natural state and away from its use as a material commodity and colonial currency. Ts̱ēmā reconnects the copper ore to the Tahltan territory in northwest British Columbia, which is rich in natural resources and has a history of mining that dates back thousands of years, highlighting her nation’s ancestral values and questioning modern extractive practices that impose environmental injuries without returning something to the land.

Ts̱ēmā
What is Left, 2021
Canadian pennies
2 × 3 × 2″
Edition of 50, varied

The Gattuso Edition is generously supported by La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso.