Leviathan

Leviathan is an artistic project looking at some of the urgent issues of our times. In dialogue with a wide range of marine biologists, oceanographers, political scientists, neurologists and trauma specialists, Leviathan explores the notions of marine welfare, migration and mental health and their possible interconnections. Leviathan is an ambitious ten-part film cycle conceived and directed by Shezad Dawood inaugurated in Venice in May 2017 to coincide with the 57th Art Biennale. The first two episodes of Leviathan were premiered in Venice as a site-specific collaboration between The Fondazione Querini Stampalia and the Institute of Marine Sciences and episode 3 was shot on location in and around Venice, and added to the exhibition from the 1st of September. The exhibition also contained a dynamic series of textiles and sculpture, collectively imagining a world where the fault lines between marine welfare, mental health and migration are not fully understood or responded to. Leviathan in Venice was presented by the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, the Institute of Marine Sciences and Fortuny, and curated by Alfredo Cramerotti. Following the launch in Venice, the project will embark on a three-year international tour, culminating in a final presentation of all ten episodes in 2020. Through a dynamic Public Programme, Leviathan brings together specialists from the fields of marine welfare, migration and mental health that the artist has been in dialogue with to inform the project. These curated events and conversations anchor the project in the present challenges that we face as a global community