Submerged Bodies: Mythical Reflections In South West Waters, is a contemporary art exhibition curated by Ashleigh Sirs, Isla McGregor-Smith, and Sabrina Sudol. It is part of the contemporary art project, Foreign Bodies, organised by the students on the MA Curation course at the University of Exeter. This exhibition is open from 7-16 June 2024, at 26 Bedford Street in Exeter.

Building upon Astrida Neimanis’s theory of Hydrofeminism, which argues that we are all bodies of water inextricably connected to the natural world, Submerged Bodies: Mythical Reflections in South West Waters explores the relationship between the artist’s body and water. Negotiating diverse cultural myths that exist around gender and water within an unfolding global context of environmental disaster, artists Melanie Stidolph, Ashanti Hare, and Teän Roberts offer water as a representation of natural cycles and a portal between worlds.

Throughout the planning process this exhibition has taken on many forms, from changing concepts, to changing artists. When we first began planning our exhibition, we prioritised having a site-specific exhibition relevant to Exeter, that featured South West based artists. Pulling from our collective curatorial interests in folklore, gender politics, and the environment, we began looking at artists and their bodies of work.

The first work we chose was Melanie Stidolph’s film Treyarnon, 2019, and was the only piece that remained from our initial concept as we shifted towards a focus on water. It was important to us to include a variety of voices and media within our exhibition, while working within the restrictions of our budget and space. After viewing Ashanti Hare’s performance, River that Never Rests, 2024, at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, we felt their current research was relevant to our exhibition, and we wanted to further their research by commissioning a sculptural piece for our exhibition. The third artist we chose was Teän Roberts. We had first noticed their work when looking at recent local exhibitions, where they showed at the Newlyn Art Gallery as a part of the exhibition WE ARE FLOATING IN SPACE, 2023. Our interest in their work grew after we discussed the exhibition with Melanie Stidolph, who recommended Teän’s work. Once we reviewed their portfolio, The Way of The Eel, 2019, felt like the missing piece we had been searching for, and completed our list of artworks.

From the beginning it was important to us to have a coinciding publication, as we have learned about the importance of art writing during our course. After securing our three artists, we felt a commissioned writer would make our exhibition more complex, and the publication would create a tangible legacy. Ashleigh knew of Dr. Jo Esra, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern Literature at the University of Exeter, and upon reviewing her maritime research alongside her connection to the South West, we knew she was the perfect addition to our project.

It wasn’t until May that we knew which space our exhibition would be shown in, which was a challenge as we had to decide how many artworks to include in our exhibition. Once we received our venue, the old Meat 59 restaurant in Princesshay, we had about a month to plan the layout of the space, and two weeks to adjust it for our exhibition. This included the addition of a large wall, painting, hanging curtains, and a lot of cleaning. We felt it was important to work with the space instead of against it, and it was an eye-opening process as we allowed the space to inform some of our curatorial decisions.

While there have been many challenges throughout the process, we felt that everything worked out for the best and we couldn’t be happier with our exhibition. The three of us wanted to give ourselves the opportunity to learn as much as possible from this project. From contacting artists, writing contracts, procuring a publication, installing artworks, and working as a curatorial team, we gained experience that will be vital when working on prospective projects. I couldn’t be prouder of my fellow curators Ashleigh and Isla, and I can’t wait to see all of their future endeavors.