TBA21 Academy's Ocean Fellowship Explores Maritime Histories in Colombo Symposium

From January 25 to 27, 2026, TBA21 – Academy held the first convening of its fellowship program The Current V: Ancestral Ocean in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event, titled Marine Intersections and Coastlines as Webs, was organized as part of Colomboscope's ninth edition, Rhythm Alliances. Conceived and led by curator Natasha Ginwala, the gathering brought together artists, scholars, conservationists, and thinkers from across the Indian Ocean region to examine the ocean as a 'wet archive'—a fluid repository of histories, memories, and knowledge often excluded from official records. The opening day featured conversations moderated by Ginwala, including Vessel as Memory. Return as Method with Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal artist Brook Garru Andrew and art historian Anna Arabindan-Kesson. Andrew discussed First Nations perspectives on waterways as systems of memory and sovereignty, citing historical exchanges between Makassar sailors and Yolngu people. Arabindan-Kesson, drawing on Françoise Vergès's concept of 'colonial forgetfulness', analyzed how art history obscures material entanglements in objects like textiles, which carried histories of slavery and trade. Another session, On Ports as Portals, Coasts as Companions, featured scholars Laleh Khalili and Neelima Jeychandran, moderated by Setareh Noorani, exploring the ocean as infrastructure and a connective space for trade and migration. Jeychandran highlighted the Kappiri, enslaved Africans brought to the Malabar coast, while Khalili discussed maritime economies and piracy. The day concluded with a dialogue between artists Charwei Tsai and Naiza Khan, focusing on coastal narratives and ecological thought. Khan's film Sticky Rice and Other Stories, part of her Manora Field Notes project, traces maritime connections off Karachi, while Tsai's work incorporates Indigenous rituals. The second day included visits to Arka Kinari, a sailing vessel turned cultural project, where participants explored its functional and intimate spaces, and a workshop by Atiyyah Khan at Soul Studio on Sufi musical traditions in the Indian Ocean diaspora. Eduardo Castillo Vinuesa, director of TBA21 – Academy, addressed the audience, emphasizing the program's three-year duration to further unpack questions of historical knowledge, memory, and archival violence. The convening aimed to foster discussions on equitable futures through oceanic perspectives, with future sessions planned as part of the fellowship.