East Boston’s ICA Watershed at the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina on Marginal will open for the season on May 26 with a new exhibition that features immersive installations by six international artists.
The exhibit, Revival: Materials and Monumental Forms, are large-scale installations by six international artists–El Anatsui, Madeline Hollander, Ibrahim Mahama, Karyn Olivier, Ebony G. Patterson, and Joe Wardwell–that uses reclaimed and reused industrial and everyday materials to create the piece.
Inspired by the mixed-use history of the Watershed space—first built in the 1930s as a copper pipe and sheet metal facility and serving since 2018 as a free site for contemporary art—the exhibition highlights how artists have derived inspiration from industry and labor through the poetic and political power of found images and goods.
The exhibit is organized by Mannion Family Curator Ruth Erickson and Curatorial Assistant Anni Pullagura will be on view at the Watershed through September 5, 2022.
ICA’s Ellen Matilda Poss Director Jill Medvedow commented that the six installations are as varied as the artists’ practices. Anatsui collects bottle caps and other refuse to form glittering, tapestry-like sculptures. Hollander programs automobile head and tail lights as a choreography of street traffic. Patterson makes intricate collages of flowers, birds, butterflies, and figures using the alluring and layered metaphor of the garden. Olivier and Mahama collect used clothing and crates, respectively, to build towering sculptures that reflect on human persistence, labor, and ingenuity. Finally, Wardwell, a Boston-based artist, will create a new, site-specific installation in dialogue with the rich history of labor songs.
“The artworks in Revival capture the power of reuse, resilience, and reclamation, celebrating a revival of the everyday at monumental scale,” said Medvedow. “These impressive, large-scale works take full advantage of the Watershed’s voluminous space, offering visitors the opportunity for exploration, discovery, and reflection.”
Erickson said the Watershed’s physical environment uniquely brings its past and present into dialogue, offering a bridge between the histories and practices of industry and of art.
“The idea for Revival came out of this dialogue,” she said. “In their work, the artists in the exhibition reflect on systems of industry, nature, and society, making visible the often invisible forces that shape human experiences.”
Entry to the Watershed is free. Timed tickets are required for Water Shuttle transportation between the ICA and the Watershed, and can be purchased in advance online at icaboston.org. Water Shuttle tickets will be available online beginning May 4 for ICA members and May 11 for the general public.