A World of Water

A day at the seaside or rain at Wimbledon. So much of our shared experience of the British summer involves water. But what would the world be like without water, or more critically, without our seas and oceans and all the lifeforce within it? The Sainsbury Centre aims to unlock a sense of urgency, recognising that the precarious nature of our waters, and possible geopolitical conflicts caused by them, will be as significant in this century as oil was in the 20^th.

A World of Water brings together works by British and international artists from the last 250 years who have all offered a unique perspective of evolving marine ecosystems and oceanic habitats. Taking the North Sea and the historical relationship between Norfolk and the Netherlands as its starting point, the exhibition looks at the human impact on the sea.

The exhibition encourages visitors to understand the complexity of sea and marine life, whilst encouraging a collective, global effort to mitigate the impacts of climate change and support action to restore marine ecosystems.

Featuring artworks by Maggi Hambling (b.1945), Eva Rothschild (b.1971), Julian Charrière (b.1987), John Crome (1768–1821), Ólafur Elíasson (b.1967), Josh Kline (b.1979), George Vincent (1796–1832), Hendricus Theodorus Wijdeveld (1885–1987), Vibeke Mascini (1989), and many more, A World of Water delves into humanity’s profound and intricate connection with the sea, raising pivotal questions about the world’s governments’ responses to climate change, coastal erosion, and environmental degradation.

Curated by John Kenneth Paranada.

Supported by: Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant, The Dutch Embassy, Art Fund, John Ellerman Foundation, Hudson Architects. 

A World of Water - Sainsbury Centre

Location: Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, Norfolk Road, Norwich NR4 7TJ

Opening times: Tuesday to Friday: 9am-6pm. (exhibitions open 9.30am). Saturday and Sunday: 10am-5pm. Closed Mondays, including bank holidays

Image: Julian Charrière, Midnight Zone, 2024. Copyright the artist, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, Germany