TBA21 Press Highlights
El Cultural; Interview with Chus Martínez - María Marco - 22/03/2024
"Contemporary art and artists are extremely sensitive to these processes, and they are better than anyone else at capturing the problems, but also the possibilities of a world in conversation, of a world in which we can still relate to each other without fanaticism of our own."
Metrópolis; Remedios - La2 RTVE - 06/02/2024
"The exhibition "Remedios: where a new land might grow" reunited more than 40 international artists in Córdoba. Conceived by TBA21 and the C3A of Córdoba, it bets on the visionary power of art to repair the historical wounds that colonialism has perpetuated".
Art Talk Magazine; Ocean Space: Interview with Markus Reymann — December issue — 08/12/2023
"The radical nature of care lies in its potential to bring about a profound societal transformation, one that values inclusivity, justice, and sustainability. It challenges the prevailing systems that perpetuate inequality, discrimination, extraction, and environmental degradation. Since art possesses the unique ability to evoke emotions and foster empathy, to awaken our sense of responsibility, I see in our work and its reception that artists can become influential advocates for care. Exhibitions and public programs can create opportunities to stimulate conversations that finally resonate with decision-makers. We are clearly only at the beginning of a long journey but I believe that the immersive experiences we share can create lasting impact and thereby contribute to social and environmental transformation."
ArtReview; 'Beyond Catastrophe: The Delicate Poetics of the Climate Crisis' — Evan Moffitt — 08/08/23
"Simone Fattal, Petrit Halilaj and Álvaro Urbano come together to compose a musical ode to the ocean that goes beyond technical jargon and dire predictions. […] 'Thus waves come in pairs' is refreshingly free of the technical jargon or dire predictions that often characterise shows about climate change, instead immersing itself in the poetics of art.”
Arab News; 'Simone Fattal explores the many cultures of the Mediterranean in Venice' — Rebecca Anne Proctor — 09/06/23
“All that you see in Venice that is beautiful are symbols of exchange of beauty that took place via the Mediterranean Sea.”
Wallpaper*; Art, science, and activism coalesce in ‘Thus waves come in pairs’ at Ocean Space, Venice — Will Jennings — 26/05/23
"[...] The creatures represent queer and unorthodox human and non-human existences, expressing the importance of ecosystems across identities, however submerged beneath the glistening surface of fixed conventions and heteronormativity."
Babelia, El País; 'Artistic antidotes to colonialism' — Javier Montes — 06/05/23
"TBA21's new exhibition in Córdoba corrects Eurocentric discourse and imagines ways to heal the wounds of the past."
"The obsession of a ship captain to hunt the whale that tore off his leg has gone down in history as one of the greatest classics of universal literature. And yes, we are talking about Moby-Dick."
"Abundant Futures in Troubled Times exhibition offers an optimistic, diverse proposal, with works from the TBA21 collection, a Foundation created by Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza to provide a new look through contemporary art on the challenges of the 21st century."
"The exhibition is a space where everyone is invited to search for their own adventure and with this you challenge the basic notion of the museum as a truth provider. Also, you radically alter the idea of memory, detaching it from its only-human condition and opening it to other beings, human and nonhuman alike".— Soledad Gutiérrez
"The breakdown of the binary,' Singh Soin explains, 'is the beginning of infinity.'[...] operating at the spatial vastness of three poles, Singh Soin pulls the story inward, positioning her body as narrator and guide. The viewer is therefore given more than an ominous narrative of environmental degradation or a neatly packaged story of salvation: in the overlaps and glitches of different ontologies—scientific, mystic, alien, embodied—she pries open the potential for a different set of always shifting, always reorienting relations."
"Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza is today one of the leading figures in the art world, both as a patron of the arts and as a collector. This year she has been awarded with the Collecting Award in the category ‘Philanthropy and International Collection’ granted by the ARCO Foundation, and in 2021 she received the Honorary Order of Distinction from Jamaica for her efforts in marine ecosystem restoration of Portland".
Hyperallergic; In Venice, a Show Draws Connections Between Colonialism and Marine Ecology — Anna Souter — 14/06/22
"The Soul Expanding Ocean brings together two artists with different but complementary ways of engaging with oceanic histories and ecologies. In-depth research creates a complex set of fluid interconnections across the two spaces, opening up powerful investigations into the impacts of colonialism and non-human animacies and agencies."
"Metrópolis closes its follow-up of st_age, TBA21's digital platform established in 2020 to maintain the Foundation's commitment to the production and dissemination of artistic projects in times of pandemic, with a review of its evolution and a projection of its future role."
Contemporânea; 'Interview with Diana Policarpo and Chus Martínez' — Ana Sophie Salazar — Issue 04-05-06 / 2022
"Beginning with presence, being there, and learning more about the flora and fauna of the place, the next step is to reach for healing practices—the artist speaks of a connection between healing the land and healing ourselves. One vital element is to break differentiating dualisms such as nature and culture, science and belief, and another to stop the violent impulse to name, possess, and colonize life and nature."
"During a swim in the Solomon Islands, the artist found herself caught between the waves of the Pacific Ocean and a formidable curtain of tropical rainwater. In the aftermath of the mesmerizing encounter, Bopape dreamt of the song that forms a part of the installation in Venice."
The New York Times; 'For This art collector, owning isn't everything' – Hilarie M. Sheets – 09/03/22
“Ultimately that’s what we’re trying to do today with TBA21, [...] breaking down the boundaries that we live in, bringing new forms of seeing and inspiring people to think differently.”
The New York Times; 'Dancers From the Deep Sea Shine on the U.N. for Climate Week' – Arthur Lubow – 14/09/21
“Sometimes research that is geared at peer review and ends up in an academic paper has a very limited impact on a wider audience or reality, [...] This is the first time we are doing anything on this scale. The flashy, splashy, huge monumental thing is an exception, an opportunity to communicate something iconic.”