Parley for the Oceans and Art Saint Barth join forces on a benefit dinner and a mixed-medium exhibition raising funds to protect the island of St Barths and the surrounding Caribbean Islands
Wall House Museum, St-Barthélemy, 2022
Top Image: Underwater Pavilion courtesy of the artist Doug Aitken.
In collaboration with Art Saint Barth, Parley is hosting its first winter benefit dinner to raise funds that support the mission of Parley, the Territorial Environment Agency (L'Agence Territoriale de l'Environnement), and the local associations to protect the island of St Barths and the surrounding Caribbean Islands. It will be held at the historic Wall House Museum, set along the seafront at Pointe de Gustavia, on Tuesday, December 27th and will be an evening with a live auction, special performance, and a culinary experience by Eden Rock.
The live auction will include contemporary artworks by Nigel Cooke, Jiří Georg Dokoupil, Katharina Grosse, Jeppe Hein, Jenny Holzer, Julio Le Parc, Vik Muniz, Ed Ruscha, Kenny Scharf, Rosemarie Trockel and one-of-a-kind items.
Katharina Grosse, colorless with a hint of blue, 2019
Rosemarie Trockel, Albatros, 2019
Kenny Scharf, Untitled, 2021
Ahead of the benefit dinner, Parley curated, with Art Saint Barth, ‘ART FOR OUR OCEANS’, a mixed-media museum exhibition, that opened on Friday, December 16th, to bring together world-renowned contemporary artists on the island to highlight the beauty, fragility, and threats facing our oceans.
The exhibition features Doug Aitken's immersive video installation Underwater Pavilions.
In addition to the video installation the exhibition features artworks from artists who have supported Parley for the Ocean’s mission: Nigel Cooke, Jiří Georg Dokoupil, Katharina Grosse, Jeppe Hein, Jenny Holzer, Julio Le Parc, Vik Muniz, Ed Ruscha, Kenny Scharf and Rosemarie Trockel.
Jenny Holzer, THIS ECSTASY, 2022
“Islands are microcosms where you must confront that our planet is mostly ocean, that we depend on the seas and are not separate from nature. Islands are also on the frontlines of the ecological crisis. Art in this setting can open a portal to new ways of seeing the world, inspiring deeper, personal relationships between humans and ocean life — overwriting what we think we know and challenging us to question what molds our worldview. St Barth is especially positioned to become an acupuncture spot for global change, due to the people that visit it. This community can be the perfect allies in the seemingly impossible mission to protect humankind from self destruction. We're honored to have the support of the Territorial Council of Saint-Barthélemy, to join forces with Art Saint Barth, ATE, the local associations in St Barths, and our partners to share the message through art: the future is blue."
— Cyrill Gutsch, Founder and CEO, Parley for the Oceans
Nigel Cooke, Oceans, 2020
Ed Ruscha, The amazing earth, 1984/ 2017
Art Saint Barth and Parley will then unveil a new edition of artist Doug Aitken’s sculptural artwork Underwater Pavilions, fabricated by Rossinavi, in St. Jean Bay in January 2023.
Underwater Pavilions will consist of three site-specific sculptures that are moored to the ocean floor. By merging the language of contemporary architecture, land art, and ocean research, Underwater Pavilions puts the local marine environment and the global challenges around ocean conservation in dialogue, inviting the viewer to interact with the living artwork within a vibrant ecosystem in St Barth.
“We are at a moment where we see first-hand the daily destruction of the environment caused by society. Being in St Barths, we are surrounded by the magnificent blue ocean and we jointly want to protect what we love. Art Saint Barth is the leading cultural association in St Barth and has been bringing artists to the island and curating exhibitions in St Barth for over 10 years, always in close connection to the environment and ecology. For the last 3 years we have been working closely with Parley for the Oceans to make this project become a reality. Together, with the support of the Territorial Council of St Barth, The Wall House Museum, the nonprofit environmental local organizations, and not to forget our other amazing friends, donators, partners, and sponsors, we have created an ambitious program to raise awareness around the protection of the ocean, with the underwater installation of artist Doug Aitken’s Underwater Pavilions, a group exhibition at the The Wall House Museum in Gustavia, and a benefit gala with an auction of works by world-renowned artists to raise funding to help the environment and preservation in St Barth.”
— Philippe Combres & Jenny Mannerheim, Founders of Art Saint Barth
“The ATE tries, on its own scale, to maintain the biodiversity of St Barth, mainly weakened by human activities and threatened from all sides today. St Barth being a small territory, the threats are mainly due to the human presence. We have big upcoming projects which is the expansion of the reserve to land areas and not just marine areas as is the case today. This program helps bring to attention that everyone has their role to play and can become a link in the protection of our environment. But for that to happen, you have to take on this role and become responsible for it.”
— Sebastian Greaux, Ocean Floor Specialist and Director of ATE (L’Agence Territoriale de l’Environnement)
