The earth is over 4 billion years old and the ocean is not that much younger. Ocean currents are continuous, large-scale movements of seawater within the Earth's oceans. These currents play a crucial role in regulating the planet’s climate and distributing heat around the world. Just as currents in the ocean create interconnected networks, our bodies possess similar pathways that form intricate bonds, weaving together connections essential to the fabric of our communities. Our bodies are a vessel of memories, knowledge and power that are hundreds of thousands years old. When we come together as humans, as friends, as family we share and move with joy when our stories are echoed.
Curated by Samia Sayed, this exhibtion features: Fei Geo, Georgia Taia & Wesley Shaw, Jamie Khamphet and Samia Sayed.
Each artist reveals their own currents and the memories harbored in their bodies, that tell you a story. In the Street Space Window you are witness to Fei Gao’s armour they built to protect their body from the turbulence of their migrant experience. In the Display Cabinet Georgia Taia and Wesley Shaw collect fragments of ocean life that are then pieced together to adorn chests, stories that lay near your heart.
The Taxidermy TV invites you into a video work by Samia Sayed that tells a story of personal connection with her Grandmother who is set apart by an ocean. In the Salon you are met with Jamie Khamphet’s work ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’ disrupting hegemonic national ideals by spotlighting the “other”, urging us to reflect on cultural perceptions and societal narratives. Jamie accompanies this work with a soundscape that you are invited to listen to reveals a story inspired by the Monkey King’s journey to the West.
How each artist came together in this exhibition is a destiny none of us could plan. The stories that live in our body are told to create a constellation of experiences. As you explore this exhibition, remember that the currents that brought the artists together also bind you to their stories.
This exhibition is supported by Create NSW and Unfunded Empathy with opening night drinks by Grifter Brewing Company.