Curatorial Statement
Hidden beneath the surface of the ocean is a world of intense natural beauty, splendor, and mystery. To embrace and incorporate that world into the world of contemporary art is the goal of SINK, a proposed underwater exhibition of site-specific installations created by an international group of emerging and established artists.
SINK proposes to organize and carry out, for the first time, a large-scale, international art event that will largely take place underwater-an event in which the difficulties and possibilities afforded by this beautiful, unorthodox environment will become an integral component of the installations created. The artists selected to participate in SINK will range in age, gender, nationality, and notoriety, but all will be carefully chosen on the basis of their ability to meet the challenges posed by this exhibit in creative and exciting ways. Although the focus of the exhibition is on the visual arts, persons from other creative disciplines will also be invited to participate. By inviting artist to participate who have a range of different aesthetic philosophies and interests, SINK will allow a diversity of visual and conceptual issues to be addressed. Of course, the underwater setting lends itself particularly well to a focus on natural beauty and issues of conservation, and environmental artists will be able to work directly with ecological issues to create work that will have a positive impact on the environment, perhaps even incorporating living sea creatures and vegetation into their installations, for example. But the uniqueness of the setting will also encourage the creative use of elements such as video projection, sound installation, and lighting, and more traditional elements of the artist’s visual or performance vocabulary will have to be re-imagined for these new circumstances.
Moreover, the unusual placement of art in an underwater setting will create a new kind of experience for the viewer, one that will require them to see in an entirely new way (both literally and figuratively). Depending on the nature of the installations, the art may be viewable from the surface of the water, or it may be best experience while snorkeling or from glass bottom boats. The visual possibilities are endless, limited only by the combined vision of the invited artists and the local communities.
SINK proposes to team participating artist with members of the scientific community-marine biologists, oceanographers, and ecologists-in order to explore all of the possibilities afforded by the unique setting and circumstances of an underwater art event. In addition, an emphasis will be placed on collaboration between the artists and local educational institutions, from primary schools through universities. These institutions and their students will be encouraged to interact with SINK throughout the design and installation phases of the exhibition. Lectures and other educational events conducted by the curator and participants will expose visitors and member of the local communities to the idea that art and culture can be accessible, thought provoking, and fun.
SINK will be presented in two phases. Phase 1 will be a preview with a target opening of Fall/Winter 2009. Phase 2 will be a larger scale exhibition opening in 2011. The budget of SINK will depend on the quantity, complexity, and size of works or art involved.
Lance M. Fung, Curator