Stories of Water, Stories in Water is an art exhibition offering love letters in a multitude of media to the bodies of water that permeate our planet, and ourselves. This show features 8 artists working in painting, etching, video, and sculpture, as well as a collaborative collection of memories with water contributed by 40 artists, writers, musicians, educators, and activists in the form of a listening station and website called the Aqueous Memory Archive. In magnifying our attention to water through our shared experiences, from the minute details to a wider viewframe, the concept behind Stories of Water, Stories in Water is to conjure reverence and respect for the bodies of water that sustain all of us living beings on our only planet.
Artists:
Chloe Wanaselja
Cynthia Tom
Maggie Yee
Miah Artola
Na Omi J. Shintani
Pallavi Sharma
Qilo Matzen
Shari Arai DeBoer
Aqueous Memory Archive
Contributors:
Cynthia Tom
Desiree Mwalimu-Banks
Dia Joyce Penning
Dylan Hurwitz
Edward Gunawan
Emily Rosenberg
Emireth Herrera Valdés
Evan Gilbert
Hiromi Kiba
Irene Bee Kain
Irene Wibawa
Isabel Mattia
Jamie Martinez
Jeffrey Whittle
Jessica Higgins
Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow
Julia Holter
Keegan McHargue
Kelsey Sharpe & Jasdeep Kang
Lilli Lanier & Lucia Soriano
Liz Phillips
Manon Wada
Marilyn Bogerd
Melissa Valentine
Miah Artola
Michael Pribich
Pooja Prema
Reiko Fujii
Sanié Bokhari
Sarah Varichon
Serena Perrone
Shari Arai DeBoer
Sonia BasSheva Mañjon
Suzanne Pugh
Taiyo Na
Tashi Wada
Tench Cholnoky
Vivienne Varay
I was approached with this incredible opportunity to curate a small gallery at the Rock Paper Scissors Collective space in Oakland. I said yes. It was a quick turnaround show, so the people I approached in my community met three criteria: 1) people who had work ready to go 2) were reliable 3) would likely forgive me if it did not turn out well. Since I had not done much of this, I thought it could have gone south quickly.
I didn’t fully realize how committed my community was in each other’s success. One of them was Manon Wada who quickly and consistently offered help and advice in so many ways that it was undeniably obvious that she was curating the show with me. I made it official and asked if she’d be willing to curate with me and thank goodness she agreed. Despite living on the opposite side of the country with three hour time difference, we were able to make this work effectively.
