United for the Oceans

Live stream the program presentation: www.tba21.org/thecurrent

On the occasion of COP21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary is proud to unveil a three-year exploratory fellowship program in the Pacific that takes creative practice out of the studio, science out of the lab, and the participants out of their comfort zones. The Current is a new creative approach to knowledge production. Working collaboratively across disciplines in unpredictable environments, we challenge ourselves to imagine new processes of knowledge production and new solutions for the environment. 

In 2015, TBA21 has intensified its focus on the urgent need to protect our natural resources and environment, particularly the oceans. The foundation is pursuing this agenda by creating The Current, a tailor-made tool for commissioning and disseminating ambitious and unconventional projects that defy traditional art categories, reflecting the vision and approach of its founder and chairwoman, Francesca Habsburg.

“In spite of the unprecedented wealth of scientific information available, global environmental woes are still largely underestimated and poorly communicated. Art can be a powerful weapon if used well, by challenging us to reconsider the way we think, feel, and live instead of just conforming to the rules of the growing art market. After all, the next 10 years are going to be the most important in the next 10,000. Therefore it’s natural for me to invest everything at my disposal in becoming an agent of change.”
–Francesca Habsburg, Chairperson of TBA21

“This program employs creativity as a trigger for the production of knowledge: by directly engaging the world’s top artists and scientists of today with the most urgent topics of our time, and by trusting in the artists’ unique powers of communication, we aim to reach the broadest possible audience, inspiring and empowing them to become agents of change.”
–Markus Reymann, Director, The Current

The Current is the exploratory soul of TBA21 
The ocean and its coastal communities provides a singular arena in which sociopolitical, economic, and environmental factors converge with the spirit of exploration. The Current seeks to redefine the culture of exploration, exchange of ideas and discovery in the 21st century. 

Organized in three-year cycles, The Current is a multi-phase fellowship program that gives artists, curators, scientists, marine biologists, anthropologists, and other cultural producers a platform to cultivate interdisciplinary thought and transfer of knowledge. Embracing the notion of the journey as a goal in itself, participants in The Current will join an annual expedition on the research vessel Dardanella. Avoiding the structures of conventional conferences, think tanks, and residencies, The Current reimagines knowledge production and the methods through which we present, understand, and exchange ideas.