Rasmus Nilausen: alvia (2018), 116x89 cm, oil on canvas.

Press release, July 2018

TALE OF AN OCEAN presents the work of eleven contemporary visual artists from Denmark: Sophie Dupont, Jacob Kirkegaard, Oskar Koliander, Rasmus Nilausen, Helene Nymann, Kaspar Oppen Samuelsen & Marie Louise Vittrup, Julie Stavad, Tove Storch, Astrid Svangren and SUPERFLEX.

The exhibition reflects on the creative forces of the ocean and the abundance of stories attached to its mysterious and timeless vastness. Through mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture, video, installation, and performance the exhibition provides a multifaceted and poetic exchange of ideas reflecting the life of the sea across times, resonating particularly with the long history of Cartagena as a naval port city and its diverse cultural heritage.

Founded around 227 years B.C by the Carthaginians (today Tunisia), the city has been ruled by Roman, Byzantine and North African civilizations before becoming Spanish. The Mediterranean Sea has played a conclusive role in the dramatic and confluence history of the city, as it has been the frontier and battlefield of all the transitions of power over the course of two millennia. Thus the waters surrounding Cartagena can be looked upon as an infinite source of inspiration, storytelling, and memory.

TALE OF AN OCEAN will comprehend our histories as trajectories tossed by waters, from ocean crossings to systems of exchange, myths, and microbial origins. Applying also a lens of history, ancient mythologies and oceanic perspectives TALE OF AN OCEAN will ask how we through the means of art, poetry, and technology can reshape our oceanic awareness in our current times of catastrophic climate change and socio-economic collapse.

TALE OF AN OCEAN will be on view until August 31 in five venues in the city of Cartagena: Palacio Molina, El Batel Auditorium, and Convention Center, Museo Muralla Bizantina, Museo Naval - Sala Isaac Peral and CIM. The exhibition is curated by: Aukje Lepoutre Ravn.

The exhibition is organized in conjunction with the 24th edition of the music festival La Mar de Músicas taking place in the city of Cartagena from June 20-June 28, 2018. Lamardemusicas.cartagena.es

This year Denmark is the country of special focus.

Kindly supported by La Mar de Músicas, The Danish Embassy in Madrid, Spain and Danish Arts Foundation.

Opening: July 18, 6pm-8pm at all venues.
Exhibition period: July 18 - August 31, 2018.