The idea behind the exhibition "To the Sea, with Her Names" originated after Jun'ichiro ISHII’s participation in the 2nd edition of the Larnaca Biennale in 2021. After coming back to Japan, he was inspired to return to Cyprus after resonating with the works of the late poet Édouard Glissant, with one of the participating artists, Kei Ota. When ISHII invited me to this exhibition, most of the world was busy dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic. My location in Taiwan naturally made me ponder whether hidden connections existed beyond these isolated islands. Moreover, I wondered what lasting insights the ongoing global pandemic, conflicts, and disasters would leave behind for the interconnection between all of us.

The title, "To the Sea, with Her Names," draws inspiration from the poem "The Sea is History" by Derek Walcott, cited in Glissant’s seminal text The Poetics of Relation, where it regards Glissant’s ideas on the fluid nature of culture and identity, constantly redefining themselves. In a passage from “Poetics", there is an image described as:

The populations that then formed, despite having forgotten the chasm, despite being unable to imagine the passion of those who foundered here, nonetheless wove this sail (a veil). They did not use it to return to the Former Land but rose up on this unexpected, dumbfounded land.

This exhibition is interested in the echoes intertwined within history and how art, through imagination, reshapes our perception of the world. Cyprus, situated at the crossroads of the Three Continents, carries the complexity of multiple cultures. Overtime, with resident groups from diverse cultural backgrounds co-inhabiting, different perceptions have emerged on the same land. These differences are scattered across names in language, craftsmanship, artifacts, songs, maps, paintings, and memories. They not only imply the ambiguity and continuous fluidity of the concept of identity but also highlight how historical narratives are always like waves–sweeping, receding, and returning.

In this exhibition, six artists with intercultural backgrounds have engaged in on-site creations in Cyprus through a rediscovery of traditional craftsmanship, cultural material research, and collaborations with locals. Within the space, we will experience these artists' vastly different personal experiences, drawing attention to how they discern, collect, and transform meaning between specificity and universality. These artworks not only represent the reflections of the artists but aim to evoke memories and experiences among local viewers, thereby opening up paths to intersect with others and accommodating a more diverse range of imaginations for the future.

Text : Sharon Huang