We are surrounded by water. From the oceans, seas and rivers, to the tap water in our homes. Extreme flooding and severe droughts remind us of the power of water and our dependence on it. With its transparent nature, water mirrors us and our actions. What do views on water tell us about the way we perceive the natural world?
Water Views brings us the perspectives of artists and researchers on the topic of water through transdisciplinary exchange. It explores several approaches on water; from routes for trade and industry to the ecological impact of our changing climate and old and new aquatic thinking.
The exhibition shows artworks by Valerie van Leersum, Tanja Engelberts, Suzette Bousema, Huniti Goldox and Jana Romanova. In the public program organized together with the Environmental Humanities Center of VU Amsterdam, scientists and scholars will engage in dialogue, with the artists and the audience, to exchange knowledge on the topic of water.
During the opening, artist Jana Romanova’s performance will invite the audience into an intimate act of care and attention as she recounts the three-year journey of Water Portraits, a project centered on reusing a liter of water by 101 participants. This performance is a space for listening, storytelling, and reflection on how small, repeated acts can hold meaning, and how water can become a witness, a medium, and a keeper of memory.
Water Views will be on view to the public from April 22.
