Turner Contemporary will present ‘The Sunken Boat: A Glimpse Into Past Histories’, an exhibition by Cairo-based artist Anna Boghiguian. She will present a new site-specific installation responding to Turner Contemporary’s coastal setting, composed of large-scale, brightly coloured cut-outs on Khadi paper using encaustic painting techniques.

Depicting an underwater scene of a sunken vessel, marine life, and communications infrastructure, the installation will portray the sea as a witness to and participant in global history. Key earlier works by Boghiguian will also be displayed throughout Turner Contemporary’s upper galleries including The Square, the Line and the Ruler: Ambiguous Philosophers / Ambiguous Politicians (2019), a life-size chess set that critiques power structures, and The Salt Traders (2015), an environmental installation that examines the salt trade’s connections to colonialism and climate change through painted sails and a Roman trading ship sculpture emerging from melting ice. Boghiguian’s nomadic practice responds to specific locations, creating installations often likened to ‘giant pop-up books,’ where spaces unfold as visitors navigate her installations.  

Boghiguian’s nomadic practice responds to specific locations, creating installations often likened to “giant pop-up books,” where spaces unfold as visitors navigate her installations.

The Sunken Boat promises a rich and multifaceted experience that weaves historical narratives, personal observations, and urgent contemporary concerns, inviting viewers to reconsider the sea’s pivotal role in shaping our collective past and unfolding future.

This exhibition is presented in collaboration with ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum and is curated by Sarah Martin with production by Katherine Lloyd and Joe Drakeford. The show will be on view from 14th June until 26th October.