Undercurrent

In bodies of water, undercurrents move in different directions to that of the surface. Not always seen but still present, they are vital forces undetected by colonial and capitalist ways of mapping from above. Collectively, undercurrents can be feelings that move against the dominant atmosphere: a desire or tension circulating between bodies, felt in common yet not always named.

The works in Undercurrent critique, resist and propose alternatives to the mainstream – to oppressive institutions, infrastructures and systems. They engage in direct and oblique strategies of resistance including parody, gossip, counter-mapping and truth-telling. Grounded in agency and lived/living experience, the artists flow autonomously below, against, between and beyond.

This exhibition is attentive to not only what we are moving against, but also towards. What meanings can we uncover when we pay attention to what’s below the surface? What awaits us when we diverge from the expected path? How may our submerged movements be in flow, converging and gathering speed, together?