Transformative Currents

 
Transformative Currents: Art and Action in the Pacific Ocean examines the historical causes and ongoing effects of the cultural and environmental devastation of the Pacific Ocean and harnesses art’s potential to enact positive ecological change, both planetary and local.
 
Covering nearly one-third of the earth’s surface, the Pacific Ocean is home to thousands of interconnected peoples, species, and ecosystems—all under threat from climate change, industrial pollution, and overfishing. Works in diverse media by 21 contemporary artists and collaborative teams are organized around the theme of ocean currents, which traverse the Pacific and suggest fluidity, interconnectivity, and collective responsibility. Each project addresses a specific issue affecting the oceanic environment; together, they highlight the interdependency of resources and the impact of local actions on global problems.
 
At a time when the health of the Pacific Ocean is in a fragile and volatile state, Transformative Currents: Art and Action in the Pacific Ocean unites art, science, and Indigenous knowledge systems to raise awareness and improve coastal conditions. In addition to the Oceanside exhibition, there will be two satellite presentations at the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) in Costa Mesa and the Crystal Cove Conservancy in Newport Beach.

 

Pictured: Paul Rosero Contreras, Dark Paradise 2 (Above); Angela Tiatia, Still from Holding On (Below, top); Genevieve Robertson, Sea Lettuce (Below, bottom).

Events and Programs

Join us for exciting events and programs themed and celebrated around Transformative Currents.

Transformative Currents Catalog Launch and Closing Celebration  | January 5, 2025, 2:30-4:30pm

Be among the first to own the Transformative Currents catalog. This pivotal publication documents the work of exhibiting artists as well as research presented at the 2022 Seachange Symposium, which preceded and paved the way for the exhibition in examining art’s potential to enact positive ecological change in the Pacific Ocean. Authors, curators, artists, and publisher X Artists Books’ will be in attendance to sign catalogs and join visitors in raising a toast to the final weeks of the exhibition’s presentation at OMA. Free with admission. Register Here.

AT ORANGE COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

AT CRYSTAL COVE CONSERVANCY

THANK YOU TO OUR EXHIBITION SPONSORS

Lead Sponsor

Transformative Currents is among more than 70 exhibitions being presented at institutions across Southern California as part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide, presented by Getty. This landmark regional event explores the intersections of art and science, both past and present. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit: pst.art

Title Sponsors

This project is supported in part by
the National Endowment for the Arts

 

Program and In-Kind Sponsors

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