The Waves of the Oh!s and the Ah!s
Think about the Ocean as you think about a relationship. We know that humans are bad at being faithful, infidelity has a tenacity that faithfulness can only envy. If you ask about Nature or the Ocean, everyone would be ready to declare their love, or our dependency, and yet we cheat on the seas, on water, on resources, on the images, on life. Ocean Adultery has many forms, and historically it has been—as Anthony Burgess describes it—“the most creative of sins.” We deplore the many times and many ways we were unfaithful to the Ocean, and yet prohibition only fuels the eagerness with which we consume our forbidden apples—or better said, our forbidden waters, fish, corals, sea beds, and human lives…. We need to face this: If we keep failing to meet our own standards, the solution is simply to try harder. This exercise cannot happen without thinking through a question: Who is the injured party? One would say the Ocean, but would that be to demonize our actions without pausing to explore our motives? Without learning how to weather its occurrence?
Inspired by the history of fear, power abuse and its relation to the elements rather than only to the humans, and drawing on the thinking of many poets, writers, and philosophers about the importance of the complaint to raise awareness, the first day of our convening will be structured as a lament: a collective performance where activists and artists give body, form, and voice to what we lament. Lamenting the Ocean, but also current forms of inequality, considering how gender and racial inequality are in complete entanglement here.
On the second day, the lamenting voice will raise an Awe. Admiration, reverence, a series of acts, performances, and lectures on the issues we admire, on all in life that bring us to this strange space of generosity, since to admire means to go out of oneself.
—Chus Martínez
As part of our commitment to regenerative practices, we have partnered with
UreCulture to undertake a series of in-depth case studies examining the ecological and social impact of our collections and the commissioning processes behind them—both regenerative and challenging. These findings are consolidated in the
Ecological and Social Impact of the TBA21 Collection reports.
This initiative represents our dedication to transparency and self-reflection, as we seek to honestly evaluate our practices. The results highlight the positive contributions of these artistic endeavors while shedding light on areas for improvement to further reduce our ecological footprint.
The inaugural study focuses on the life cycle of Claudia Comte’s artworks within the TBA21 Collection
. Claudia’s collaboration with TBA21 began in 2018 during the TBA21–Academy expedition to New Zealand,
The Current II, led by Chus Martínez. This journey culminated in the exhibitions
After Nature in Madrid and
Underwater Cacti in Jamaica, and included a residency at the Alligator Head Foundation in Jamaica. This ocean conservation hub, a scientific partner of TBA21–Academy, deeply influenced Claudia’s
Underwater Cacti project, inspired by the foundation’s coral regeneration program.
Comte’s artistic practice delves into the history and memory of biomorphic forms, blending traditional handcrafting techniques with industrial machine processes. Her installations center around monumental wall paintings and sculptural series that draw inspiration from organic patterns and morphologies such as waves, sonar, rock strata, cacti, and coral reefs.
Case Study: Claudia Comte