Seven artists. One fluid relationship. Our Connection to Water brought together an international group of artists from different backgrounds. Linking them was one simple question: what does water mean to us?
It is often seen as a resource, a survival necessity and a daily need – but water is so much more than water.
The exhibition ran from 31 March 2023 to 25 February 2024 at the National Maritime Museum. Find out more about each artist that was featured in the exhibition below.
Seba Calfuqueo
Seba Calfuqueo is a visual artist and a curator living and working in Santiago, Chile. They are part of the Mapuche collective Rangiñtulewfü. The Mapuche are Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile. Seba uses installation, ceramics, performance and video to critique the social, cultural and political status of the Mapuche people within contemporary Chilean society.
Video: Extract from TRAY TRAY KO by Seba Calfuqueo, 2022 (Credits: Sebastián Melo)
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Artemis Evlogimenou
Artemis Evlogimenou’s work focuses on presenting the invisible, such as emotions, concepts and beliefs. She draws inspiration from three lifelong fascinations – anthropology, sound and nature, exploring these topics through digital and analogue processes. By engaging people in her art, Artemis hopes to communicate the fragility of our planet and its raw beauty.
Image: West of the Sun, East of the Moon by Artemis Evlogimenou, 2022
JIUN Collective
JIUN Collective are based in south-east London. They are three sisters, Kharis, Verity and Stephanie Wong, making work across a variety of media including ceramics, printmaking, installation and photography. Through collaborative making, they explore how you can evoke shared experiences.
Video: Extract from Conversations with our Grandmothers by JIUN Collective, 2022
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Giya Makondo-Wills
Giya Makondo-Wills is a British-South African documentary photographer and visual artist. She focuses on urgent matters of our time and how they relate to the history of marginalised communities. Giya aims to challenge visual culture and the western gaze, recognising the role of the camera in writing new histories. Giya works with themes such as identity, race, colonisation, and systems of power, using collaboration to preserve the stories of those that are often overlooked.
Image: They Came from the Water While the World Watched by Giya Makondo-Wills, 2016–2019
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Paul Malone
Paul Malone currently has a studio practice in Deptford, south London. He studied Fine Art and Sculpture at Reading University and the Royal College of Art. He has exhibited mainly in the UK and Europe and has curated a number of exhibitions and projects.
Image: The Photonic Ocean by Paul Malone, 2023
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Aya Mohamed
Aya Mohamed is an 18-year-old illustrator based in north-west London. She uses digital and traditional illustration techniques to create thought-provoking works on themes such as politics and identity. She links her study of social sciences with her desire to create art that has an impact; to inspire, educate or simply bring people together. Aya is planning to study law at university next year.
Image: The River of Life by Aya Mohamed, 2022
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Dafe Oboro
Dafe Oboro is an artist working predominantly in photography and film. Dafe uses sound and imagery to question ideas of masculinity, movement across time and space, and the socio-political state of contemporary Nigeria. Dafe aims to destabilize reductive understandings of African countries in mainstream popular media and inspire more nuanced engagement with the realities of the artist’s cultural context.
Image: Pour me Water, Pure Water by Dafe Oboro, 2020
1 / 7
Seba Calfuqueo
2 / 7
Artemis Evlogimenou
3 / 7
JIUN Collective
The JIUN Collective is made up of Kharis Wong, Verity Wong and Stephanie Wong.
4 / 7
Giya Makondo-Wills
5 / 7
Paul Malone
6 / 7
Aya Mohamed
7 / 7
Dafe Oboro
Main image: still from TRAY TRAY KO by Seba Calfuqueo, 2022