Oceans Curated By Shana Mabari

Two years after her NASA flight, Shana Mabari was invited to become the first artist-in-residence on a maritime mission led by the nonprofit Sea Shepherd Global, which utilizes clandestine operations and direct action to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing off the west coast of Africa. The resultant volume, Oceans, features texts from nine contributors and selections from Mabari’s sculptural series Korāl.

As Mabari pursued separate bodies of artwork after her unique artist residency, she asked a cross section of individuals from her own social and professional sphere, ranging from an astronaut and a filmmaker to an art critic and a musician “What do you think about when you think about the word ocean?” Their answers in the form of short essays explode the everydayness of these words to reveal a kaleidoscope of perspectives, which in turn serve to inspire intimate meditations on themes surrounding social connectivity and the individual’s relationship with humankind’s larger knowledge networks. The project reflects Mabari’s longstanding interest in exploring the intersections of art and science as well as incorporating into her practice the work of others not typically seen in traditional art-world contexts.

Montabonel’s unique design vision for both books further underscores the intimacy of these reflections. Comprised of ten individual hand-sewn booklets printed on Bible paper, with selections from Mabari’s Korāl series printed on heavy stock, the materiality of each edition likewise invites the reader to experience the ordinary anew through an exquisite disruption of the conventions of typical book publishing.