Exhibition

Here Be Dragons

22 Sep 2020 – 31 Oct 2020

Special hours

23-Sep-2020
Closed

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Copperfield

London, United Kingdom

Event map

Copperfield, London is pleased to present 'Here Be Dragons', an exhibition dealing with the ocean-space as a historical connector of places, people and identities. The exhibition includes works by Regina de Miguel, Newell Harry, David Rickard, Jamilah Sabur, Alberta Whittle

About

Copperfield, London is pleased to present Here Be Dragons*, an exhibition dealing with the ocean-space as a historical connector of places, people and identities.

The ocean is often identified as a void, as a great moat that divides territories, defines distances and sets trajectories. When people talk about remoteness and about distant places on the other side of the ocean, they unconsciously locate their position as the central point of global reference. From our land-based perspective, we perceive the geographic and political space around us taking only the surface into account: what we see on the horizon and what is measurable from a static, onshore point of view.

The exhibition proposes a process of unlearning the way we conceptualise space, rethinking it from an ocean-based perspective that embraces a relational understanding of the sea and celebrates its complexity as an indivisible entity in constant transformation.

This perspective acknowledges a connectivity that complements the functional use of the ocean as a conduit throughout history and detaches from a hegemonic and simplified understanding of identities and territories.

The ocean has brought violence to the shore of many lands, has enabled the slave trade and the forced displacement of individuals. Beyond geological connectivity via undersea plates and ridges, stories and identities have travelled through time from sea to coast, from island to mainland and back again. Languages and cultures have merged, memories have sunk and new ones have been kept afloat.

The exhibition includes works by Regina de Miguel, Newell Harry, David Rickard, Jamilah Sabur and Alberta Whittle. An extended release will be available shortly with further information about the works, the artists and their context in this exhibition.

*Here Be Dragons is an expression derived from early Western cartography’s use of monsters and dragons to refer to uncharted and unexplored sea territories, and is indicative of perspective bias.)


 
Here Be Dragons will be open from 22 September. We are replacing the planned opening with an opening week of tours:

Anyone can contact us to book a tour of the show from Tuesday 22 to Sunday 27 September, during our opening week.
Please indicate your preferred choice and a second choice of time and day up to 24hours in advance. Groups will be up to 5 people, with masks.

After the opening week we will be open by appointment to manage visitor numbers. Anyone can visit the exhibtion by contacting us with 24h notice.
 

What to expect? Toggle

Exhibiting artistsToggle

Alberta Whittle

Jamilah Sabur

Newell Harry

Regina de Miguel

David Rickard

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