“The Ocean After Nature” to Wrap Up Its International Tour at the CWAM

WOOSTER, Ohio – “The Ocean After Nature,” a group of works that consider the ocean as a site reflecting the ecological, cultural, political, and economic realities of a globalized world, will conclude its international tour with a nine-week run at The College of Wooster Art Museum (CWAM) from Sept. 11-Nov. 18 (closed Oct. 6-15). The opening reception is set for Thursday, Sept. 20, from 6:30-8 p.m., with a gallery talk by the exhibition curator, Alaina Claire Feldman, at 7 p.m.

For centuries, the ocean has prompted awe as a vast unknown space loaded with notions of the sublime and exotic. However, in the past 15 years, global technological and economic shifts have triggered new concerns and understandings of the ocean, revealing more about the consequences of human actions than ever before.

“The Ocean After Nature” explores that relationship between the ocean and humanity while invoking personal themes of identity and migration, alongside more universal concerns related to tourism, trade, and the exploitation of natural resources. The artists respond to the intertwined factors that define this new understanding of the ocean.

The exhibition features 20 artists and collectives, with works in a wide variety of media, including photography, video, sculpture, music, and design. At every host site, a work by a regionally-based artist is added to further contextualize the exhibition. At the CWAM, Julia Christensen of Oberlin, Ohio, will present work from her recent series “Waiting for a Break,” which tracked Lake Erie’s winter ice in real time and premiered at SPACES in Cleveland this past January.

Enhancing the exhibition will be three films – “The Forgotten Space” on Wednesday, Sept. 26, “Endless Dreams and Water Between” on Wednesday, Oct. 24, and “Wasserwege (Waterways)” on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Each screening will take place in room 223 of Ebert Art Center from 7-9 p.m. (must be 18 to attend), and Mareike Herrmann, a professor of film studies, German, and global and international studies, will facilitate a film discussion following the Nov. 7 screening.

“The Ocean After Nature is a traveling exhibition, curated by Alaina Clare Feldman and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI). The exhibition and tour are made possible, in part, with the generous support from ICI’s International Forum and the ICI Board of Trustees. The international array of artists in the exhibition are Ursula Biemann, Shaina Anand and Ashok Aukumaran of CAMP, Julia Christensen, Yonatan Cohen and Rafi Segal, Mati Diop, Drexciya, Peter Fend, Manuel Gnam, Renée Green, Peter Hutton, Hyung S. Kim, Manny Montelibano, The Otolith Group, Ulrike Ottinger, Maria D. Rapicavoli, Carissa Rodriguez, Allan Sekula and Nöel Burch, Supersudaca, and United Brothers.

The CWAM, which supports the College’s goals of teaching, research, and global engagement, is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. All exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. For additional information, visit the CWAM’s website and/or call (330) 263-2495 or (330) 263-2388.

Posted in Event, News on August 14, 2018.