Artists Explore Migration and Loss Through Moving Image Works

An article examines how four contemporary artists—Séverine Sajous, Anna Surinyach, Steve McQueen, and Isaac Julien—use moving image works to document human experiences of migration and loss at sea, moving beyond static photographic representation. The piece references the 2015 photograph of Syrian child Aylan Kurdi, which became a symbol of the European migrant crisis, to argue that single images often fail to capture complex narratives. The artists' works address different maritime contexts: Sajous and Surinyach's 2020 documentary film '#boza' features first-person testimonies of five individuals crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to Europe. Steve McQueen's video installation 'Ashes' (2002–2015) tells the story of a young Grenadian fisherman named Ashes, who was killed, through a dual-screen presentation combining idyllic footage with the story of his death and the creation of his tombstone. Isaac Julien's nine-screen installation 'Ten Thousand Waves' (2010) responds to the 2004 drowning of 23 Chinese cockle-pickers in Morecambe Bay, UK, weaving together Chinese mythology, historical reenactment, and contemporary footage. The article, written by Sara Quattrocchi Febles, suggests these artists use film and video to create multi-dimensional narratives that explore the uncontrollable nature of the sea and the layered realities of those who cross it.