DUBROVNIK.- OCEANS. Imagining a Tidalectic Worldview features 17 artists whose distinctive works cast oceanic perspectives on the cultural, political and biological dimensions of the oceans, examining the effects of human-made issues such as climate change and sea-level rise while reimagining human and “beyond human” relationships. Organized by TBA21–Academy and presented in two parts, OCEANS opened at the Museum of Modern Art in Dubrovnik on July 4, 2018, and at the newly restored Monastery of Our Lady of the Cave on the island of Lopud on July 6, 2018.

“The issues facing the oceans may seem incomprehensible and insolvable because of their complexity or scale. Through the OCEANS exhibition, TBA21–Academy is seeking to synthesize a range of knowledge systems by inviting experts from a variety of disciplines and the general public to jointly imagine a radically different future for our planet and to take action. Dubrovnik and Lopud, whose inhabitants regularly witness the effects of humans on the Adriatic Sea seemed like obvious destinations for OCEANS,” stated Markus Reymann, Director of TBA21–Academy.The exhibition marks the first time the complex of Our Lady of the Cave, which traces its origins to 1483, will be accessible to the public after an extensive 18-year conservation and adaptive reuse program.

“For more than 10 years, Lopud has served as a venue for research and development for TBA21, where we have convened artists, scientists, policy makers, and indigenous leadership from throughout the region and across the world to collaboratively explore the most pressing issues of our times. I see no better location for OCEANS than this beautiful region,” stated Francesca von Habsburg, Founder and Executive Producer of TBA21–Academy, whose connection to Croatia and art preservation goes back to 1994.

The OCEANS exhibition will be open to the public in both venues until September 30, 2018. The exhibition builds upon previous iterations that appeared as Tidalectics at Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary in Augarten, Vienna (June 2–November 19, 2017) and Océans. Une vision du monde au rythme des vagues (February 9–April 22, 2018) at Le Fresnoy in Tourcoing, France. It is accompanied by a formative compendium published jointly with MIT Press.

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS

Many of the works in OCEANS have been generated through the fellowship, research, and commissioning programs of TBA21–Academy. Exhibition highlights include:

Newell Harry, Untitled (Anagrams and Objects for R.U. & R.U. (Part I), 2015, and Untitled (Objects and Anagrams for R.U. & R.U. (Part II), 2015
Harry charts creole and pidgin languages, alternative modes of exchange, and notions of value and currency in the Pacific. The exhibition features objects relating to the Kula ring, a traditional system of ceremonial gift exchange, and anagrams printed on hereditary Tongan ngatu cloths.

Susanne M. Winterling, Glistening Troubles, 2016
Glistening Troubles, which grew out of Winterling’s residency at the TBA21–Academy’s sister organization, the Alligator Head Foundation in Jamaica, investigates dinoflagellate algae and their bioluminescence as indicators of the health of coastal waters with toxic potential.

Sissel Tolaas, Ocean SmellScapes, 2017
Smell researcher and artist Tolaas collects and synthesizes smells of Costa Rican oceanscapes currently undergoing ecological change. Her olfactory portraits evoke familiar and new motifs that may soon disappear but can be tracked with the help of the collected data.

Tue Greenfort, Tamoya Ohboya, 2017
In an installation centered on live jellyfish, Greenfort explores complex ecosystems and the consciousness of these aquatic organisms.

Ariel Guzik, The Nereida Capsule, 2015
Guzik’s work is an instrument materializing an intention of encounter between humans and cetaceans free from dominion and devoid of utilitarian or scientific research interests.