The Imaginary Sea

A reflection on our changing relationship with the sea, imagined by artists such as Jeff Koons and Alison Katz

It goes without saying that our relationship to the natural world, especially the sea and its enigmatic and unfathomable contents, is complex and fraught. Far from a wholesale critical condemnation of anthropocentrism, The Imaginary Sea seeks to present a balanced, multifaceted perspective of our evolving relationship with the natural world. It operates, if not in different temporalities, then in different imaginations, compiling work inspired by the sea from artists such as Jeff Koons, Miquel Barceló and Alison Katz, working across a wide range of mediums. This publication, released alongside the eponymous exhibition at the Fondation Carmignac, considers not only how artists are reevaluating our relationship with nature, but also how nature, particularly the sea, sparks our imagination. Akin to the emotional range of a Shakespearian comedy or tragedy, The Imaginary Sea intends to evoke joy, mystery, wonder and melancholy, as well as loss.