“Titanic”, 2019, oil on wood. Also “The Lifeboat of the HMS Erebus”, 2019, oil on wood, on view at Guild Hall of East Hampton. Courtesy of Alexis Rockman.
WHAT LIES BENEATH “AL EX I S ROCKMAN: SH I PWRECKS ” DEBUT S AT GU I LD HAL L
Now “Alexis Rockman: Shipwrecks,” an exhibition at Guild Hall of East Hampton, looks at the vessels which traversed the world’s waterways as a mode of transport for language, culture, art, cuisine, religion, disease, warfare, and more. Through depictions of historic and imagined shipwrecks and their lost cargoes, Rockman addresses the impact—both factual and extrapolated—that the migration of culture, people, plants, and animals has on the planet. The much-touted exhibition, which opens June 12, is accompanied by the publication of a book—an in-depth look into the art of Alexis Rockman and the history of the shipwreck narrative, with Guild Hall’s executive director, Andrea Grover at the helm as editor. We spoke with Alexis Rockman and with Andrea Grover, about the reasons we romanticize what lies beneath.
How did you two get acquainted? And Andrea, how did you come to collaborate with Alexis on the “Shipwrecks” exhibition coming to Guild Hall, and the book? Alexis: In September 2018, I was invited to do a talk about my work at the Amagansett Library and was asked who I would like to have a dialogue with on stage. I knew of Andrea’s wonderful show “Radical Seafaring” that had been at the Parrish, so I suggested her. Luckily, she said yes. One of the first things she asked me was “What are you working on?” I said, “Shipwrecks” and she said, “Oh, can Guild Hall show them?” and I said, “Of course!” Andrea: I’ve worked for years on projects related to the water. For example, the exhibition Alexis mentioned, “Radical Seafaring” at the Parrish Art Museum, was about international artists who site projects on waterways. I organized a film
BY BRIDGET LEROY
What is it about shipwrecks that fascinates us so? Decades, even centuries, after boats have descended into the oceanic depths, books are written, films are produced, or, in the case of esteemed American artist Alexis Rockman, works of art are created, adding to the myths and mysteries of the ships that lie at the bottom of bodies of water around the world.
78 • AFLOAT USA Hamptons Summer 2021
AFLOAT USA Hamptons Summer 2021 • 79
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online