“Breathe! Artists Respond to the Crises of Our Age” was curated by Andrea Torrice. This exhibition, part of Wave Pool’s 2021 Curatorial Residency program, was on view in the gallery spaces at Wave Pool from July 3rd through August 7th, 2021.

Participating artists Erika Nj Allen, Kim Anno, Sharareh Khosravani, and Stephen Slaughter explore the physical, emotional, and political approaches to finding resilience in painting, installation, and video.  Each artist examines a different strategies - from finding strength through community action, exposing and challenging social injustices, to creating safe places to live and thrive.

 “Breathing has grabbed the world’s attention over the past two years,” says guest curator, Andrea Torrice. “From George Floyd’s last words while in a police chokehold, to COVID-19 creating a fear to breathe the air around us, to the impacts of climate disruption making it harder to breathe from wildfires and record-breaking temperatures. I invited these four talented artists to create work that responds to the question, how can we breathe freely?”

The exhibition kicked off with a community conversation on opening night featuring guest speakers Flavia Bastos, James P. Buchanan, and Renee Mahaffey Harris. 

Andrea Torrice is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and media artist, whose work spans a range of contemporary issues. Her work has been presented on public television, National Geographic Channel, and many other national and international venues. For more information about Torrice’s work visit: www.torricemedia.com

This exhibition and community dialogue was made possible through the generous support of the Stephen H. Wilder Foundation as well as contributions to the 2020 Wave Pool Annual Fundraiser.