Caroline Absher, Lindsay Adams, Kevin Brisco, Elizabet Cerviño, Æmen Ededéen, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Jerrell Gibbs, Basil Kincaid, Naomi Lisiki, Luis López-Chávez, Shaina McCoy, Cinthia Sifa Mulanga, Jonny Niesche, a’driane nieves, Deborah Roberts, Tajh Rust, Marcus Leslie Singleton, Brittney Leanne Williams, Lulama Wolf
Bode is pleased to present When the Mountains Dance with the Ocean, a group exhibition with works by Caroline Absher, Lindsay Adams, Kevin Brisco, Elizabet Cerviño, Æmen Ededéen, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Jerrell Gibbs, Basil Kincaid, Naomi Lisiki, Luis López-Chávez, Shaina McCoy, Cinthia Sifa Mulanga, Jonny Niesche, a’driane nieves, Deborah Roberts, Tajh Rust, Marcus Leslie Singleton, Brittney Leanne Williams, Lulama Wolf.
Perched between the Atlantic and Indian oceans stretching into infinity and the table mountain rising like a silent sentinel watching over the land, there is a house in Cape Town. Large windows open up onto the sea, framing a vast horizon, subtly playing with the boundaries of interior and exterior, of home and nature. A salty breeze blows through them, mixing with the smell of freshly cooked food and the taste of good company and the sound of the house gently coming alive with a hum of voices and laughter accentuated by the clinking of glasses and cutlery. Around a long table, stories about creativity, purpose and passion are being told, conversations about art and art-making and about life itself arise; ideas, thoughts, and memories float through the rooms like the tide below. They manifest themselves in works of art, find shape in color and texture, leaving their mark on the canvas.
When the Mountains Dance with the Ocean opens up and invites into a place just like that one. A place of longing and belonging, much like Cape Town itself is one. Though not quite through a gathering of that kind, the feeling remains, that each piece of art was shaped by those very exchanges. A feeling, as though the walls themselves had absorbed the creative spirit of the gatherings they now inspire and which Bode is more than excited to be inviting to. In an extensive group show displayed through the entire house, the sterile white cube surrounding is replaced by a welcoming and warm, open and yet intimate atmosphere. The selection of works by Caroline Absher, Lindsay Adams, Kevin Brisco, Elizabet Cerviño, Æmen Ededéen, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Jerrell Gibbs, Basil Kincaid, Naomi Lisiki, Luis López-Chávez, Shaina McCoy, Cinthia Sifa Mulanga, Jonny Niesche, a’driane nieves, Deborah Roberts, Tajh Rust, Marcus Leslie Singleton, Brittney Leanne Williams, and Lulama Wolf brings together artists and practices from all over the world, subtly highlighting nuances that unite their work despite the geographic distances not only visually, but even more so in their matters of subjects, narratives, or motifs.
Within these uniting elements four main currents can be identified, forming the foundation of the exhibition, allowing undercurrents to connect and intertwine the single works into one choir of artistic voices. Tuning into a visual concert about the exploration of race, identity and culture, about the examination of personal and collective histories, about the blurring and pushing of boundaries between abstract and figurative formal language and about the intersectionality of material, gesture, language and painting.
In this house, art isn't confined; it thrives in the warmth of a lived-in space. The long dining table becomes a place where not only meals are shared but also thoughts, ideas, and perspectives. You are invited to sit down, enjoy a dinner or a glass of wine, and join the ongoing conversation about life and creativity. Here, art mingles with everyday moments, and visitors become part of a continuous dialogue—one that lingers in the air like the scent of the ocean breeze.
