A Paris exhibition invites visitors to dive into the ocean and explore the intersecting perspectives of artists and scientists who, for 20 years, have studied and documented marine life and the challenges it faces.
For 20 years, a schooner named Tara has been sailing the world's oceans to study and protect marine ecosystems, supported by the Tara Ocean Foundation.
The organisation was founded in 2003 by French fashion designer Agnès Troublé, better known as agnès b, with the aim of raising public awareness about protecting the ocean and its biodiversity in the face of climate change and pollution.
During its 13 expeditions around the globe, artists regularly joined scientists on board, and now a new exhibition – "La Grande Expédition" ("The Great Expedition") – is displaying their works, examining the intersection between art and science.
More than 40 artists have explored "the environmental and societal issues linked to the ocean, through an exhibition that reveals the preciousness and fragility of the largest ecosystem on Earth," according to the foundation.
"The foundation asked if I wanted to undertake the 20th anniversary expedition, giving me the freedom to make my own choices," José-Manuel Gonçalves, director and curator at the Centquatre-Paris, the venue for the exhibition, told RFI.
"I selected works to ensure it truly reflects a contemporary art exhibition and to fully engage the imagination of the public."
"The Great Expedition" highlights the artistic creations emerging from these expeditions: paintings, sculptures, photographs, video installations and sound pieces.
"These artistic works allow us to become aware of the beauties of the world, but also of our deadly interventions [into it]," said Gonçalvès.
"They truly reveal to us an unknown world, but in forms, with materials and through mediums that are each time extremely different."
Art and science
In addition to the artworks, scientific elements are incorporated in the exhibition to deepen the understanding of the issues faced by marine life, via a dialogue between art and science.
"When Darwin embarked on [his voyage on] the HMS Beagle, he was a naturalist, and it was through his drawings that he introduced new species," explains Myriam Thomas, director of the Ocean Culture department at the Tara Foundation.
"He ultimately told the story of this expedition and exploration. The artists who board Tara have the exact same idea."
Tara sails back to France after global voyage checking plankton and pollution
The work of French biologist Christian Sardet, the co-founder and scientific coordinator of the Tara Oceans expedition (2009-2013), is an example of this intersection between science and art.
Sardet initiated the Plankton Chronicles project – a series of short videos focusing on plankton and combining art and science – in collaboration with Sharif Mirshak and Noé Sardet.
"We address topics and scientific themes that are, for some, very complex [and] that also involve issues and challenges related to the ocean, such as pollution and climate change," said Thomas.
"The work of artists helps shed light on these subjects, by offering a different perception. We hope to light that little spark which will make us look at the ocean in a different way, not just as a vast expanse of water, but as a truly living place that must be protected."
"Tara: Art and Science to Reveal the Ocean" runs until 2 March, 2025, from Wednesday to Sunday, at the Centquatre-Paris.
