ArtReview Residency Explores Waterways as Metaphors for Power and Connection at French Riviera and Tate Modern
In the winter of 2024, Tom Jeffreys took part in the sixth Dragon Hill X ArtReview Writers Residency held in Mouans-Sartoux, where he examined waterways as symbols of connection, influence, and wealth. The residency centered around the Canal de la Siagne, which was finished in 1868 and played a significant role in boosting the local economy. In October 2024, Jeffreys attended the conference titled 'Waterways: Arteries, rhythms and kinship' at Tate Modern, which included performances and discussions. A workshop led by sound artist Bint Mbareh critiqued Tate sponsor Len Blavatnik, who contributed £50 million in 2016 and is under scrutiny for his connections to Israel and Russia. The conference also tackled issues of colonial extraction and ecological collapse, featuring insights from Nabila Abdel Nabi and artists like Sonia Levy, whose 2021 film 'Creatures of the Lines' examined the Suez Canal's effects. Since 2014, the Mediterranean has witnessed 30,000 refugee drownings, while Frontex's budget reached €922 million in 2023. Jeffreys highlighted the role of water in preserving memory and fostering communal resistance.
Key facts
- The sixth Dragon Hill X ArtReview Writers Residency took place in winter 2024 at Dragon Hill in Mouans-Sartoux, French Riviera.
- The Canal de la Siagne was completed in 1868, diverting water from the Siagne river to Cannes and boosting local economies.
- Tate Modern hosted 'Waterways: Arteries, rhythms and kinship' in October 2024, a three-day conference with performances and workshops.
- Bint Mbareh led a collective-singing workshop at Tate Modern, critiquing sponsor Len Blavatnik through a poem referencing the Thames and other rivers.
- Len Blavatnik donated £50 million to Tate in 2016, resulting in the Blavatnik Building, and has supported pro-Israel agendas in U.S. politics.
- Blavatnik has been under Ukrainian sanctions since 2023 and was accused in Haaretz of censoring Israel's Channel 13 broadcaster in support of Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Sonia Levy's film 'Creatures of the Lines' (2021) explores the Lessepsian migration via the Suez Canal, opened in 1869.
- An estimated 30,000 refugees drowned in the Mediterranean between 2014 and 2024, with Frontex's budget increasing to €922 million in 2023 for border drones.
Entities
Artists
- Tom Jeffreys
- Astrida Neimanis
- Sonia Levy
- Ferdinand de Lesseps
- Nabila Abdel Nabi
- Bint Mbareh
- Léuli Eshrāghi
- Taey Iohe
- Jumana Emil Abboud
- Jonathan Glazer
- Antony Lowenstein
- Gamal Abdel Nasser
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Donald Trump
Institutions
- Dragon Hill
- ArtReview
- Tate Modern
- Courtauld Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery
- University of Oxford
- Haaretz
- Channel 13
- Frontex
- Israel Aerospace Industries
- Hyundai Motor
- Hyundai Heavy Industries
- IDF
Locations
- Mouans-Sartoux
- French Riviera
- France
- Cannes
- Siagne river
- Mediterranean
- Egypt
- Suez Canal
- Red Sea
- London
- Thames
- Natalie Bell Building
- Blavatnik Building
- London Wetlands Centre
- Jordan
- Effra
- Amazon
- Euphrates
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Israel
- United States
- India
- Edinburgh