UNDERSEA

Art and life beneath the waves

Dive into an underwater world and explore the myths, mysteries, and marine life that lurk beneath the waves.

Undersea brings together paintings, prints, drawings, and objects from across different cultures and artistic movements, revealing the sea as a place of wonder, turmoil, and transformation.

With works spanning four centuries and five continents, Undersea celebrates cultural connections and the pleasures of difference. Look out for coral, crabs, lobsters, mermaids, and more, as seen through artists’ eyes.

Undersea follows Seaside Modern (2021) and Seafaring (2022) to complete a trilogy of exhibitions curated by art historian James Russell.

One group of works will explore artists’ study of the marine environment and the creatures that inhabit it, with lobsters, crabs and fish appearing in different guises throughout the show. Greek painter Yiannis Maniatakos donned diving gear to paint haunting views of the seabed – underwater. Intricate representations of the sea and its inhabitants are offered by a group of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Meanwhile there is a rare chance to view a work created by marine organisms: Sea Sculpture (c. 1725) incorporates ceramicware lost at sea and colonised by corals.

Another group of works is inspired by mythology and imaginary aquatic realms, with an impressive display of international artworks depicting mermaids. This includes the celebrated Surrealist painting, A Siren in Full Moonlight by Paul Delvaux (1940) and the startlingly inventive Mermaids series (2023) by contemporary Swiss painter Klodin Erb. Different perspectives on the same subject are offered by Nigerian painter Kelechi Nwaneri in his depiction of the powerful African goddess and water spirit Mami Wata (2021) and in Thomas Lowinsky’s The Dawn of Venus (1922).

One of the oldest works is the beguiling A crocodile, a gigantic fish and an animal that eats flying fish (1750) by an unknown maker, the full meaning of which remains a mystery. Contemporary highlights include the mysterious Deep Dive (2022) by Tom Anholt,  and Octopus’s Veil (2016) by Michael Armitage.

Image: Tom Anholt, Deep Dive, 2022. Courtesy Josh Lilley, London. © Tom Anholt and Josh Lilley. Photo credit: Gunter Lepkowski.