Shifting Waters

Mike Bouchet

Giorgio Andreotta Calò

Anne Duk Hee Jordan

Sonia Leimer

Sadamasa Motonaga

Pamela Rosenkranz

Lawrence Weiner

As a contribution to the Biennale Arte 2026, the ERES Foundation is presenting the group exhibition Shifting Waters. Based on seven internationally established artistic positions, it will highlight aspects of the changing relationship between humans and water cycles, which are the basis of all life.

No other city in the world is as defined by water as Venice. Everything seems to converge in the lagoon: heaven and earth, illusion and reality, man and sea. For centuries, its inhabitants have sought ways to transform the hostile environment into inviting splendour with ingenious technical inventions and to triumph over the forces of nature. Exposed to tides and storm surges and built on unstable alluvial soil, Venice is a prime example of the need to adapt to water. In view of globally changing water cycles with increasing flash floods, high water levels and droughts, this aspect makes the lagoon city the vanguard of a changing relationship between the hydrosphere and the anthroposphere.

In a fluid interplay, the group show Shifting Waters combines various aspects of the coexistence of humans and water. The artistic positions are reminiscent of the permanent struggle with the forces of nature or enchant with the poetry of the liquid. The beauty of pearls, the wondrous texture of scales, enormous structures from the hidden realm and the remains of dismantled architecture create a melody of connection and repulsion. The exhibition features images, sculptures and thoughts that give an idea of how to deal with the fluidity of water, how to respond to it and how to benefit from it. A constant flow of change that will also shape our future.

Sonia Leimer’s glass sculpture refers to Venice’s position as a former leading trading and maritime power, while Giorgio Andreotta Calò’s installation draws attention to the fragile structure below sea level: a memorial to a sinking city. Mike Bouchet’s work also revolves around the effects of climate change on human existence. Gutai artist Sadamasa Motonaga, on the other hand, emphasises the playful, light-hearted component of water. A magical, dark underwater world beyond human perception awaits visitors in Anne Duk Hee Jordan’s multisensory installation. In her filigree work, reminiscent of delicate fish skin, Pamela Rosenkranz weaves technology and nature together with a touch of blue. In the end, Lawrence Weiner’s flag sums it all up: Water finds its own level.