Depreciation (artwork)

Depreciation is a work of conceptual land art by American artist Cameron Rowland completed in 2018. The work comprises one acre of land in South Carolina on the site of a former slave plantation which had previously, briefly, been given as reparations to formerly enslaved people, along with legal documents relating to the land. Rowland has set several restrictions on the land, rendering it unusable and undevelopable. The artist has also directed viewers not to visit the land, representing the work in exhibitions with legal documents.

Critics and art historians - and the artist - have suggested that the work represents a critique of property in the United States, showcasing the links between real estate, land use, and the history of slavery in America.

Originally created for an exhibition of Rowland's work at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Depreciation has since been shown in multiple notable group exhibitions at galleries and museums in the United States and internationally. In 2023 the Dia Art Foundation entered into a long-term loan agreement with Rowland to steward the work as part of Dia's constellation of permanent art installations.