Racquel Rowe: Bodies of Water
Racquel Rowe: Bodies of Water
In her short, poignant video, Bodies of Water (2023), artist Racquel Rowe examines various aspects of Blackness in relation to the Black experience of water. Borne of the artist’s ongoing interest in migration, the video considers relationships between Black embodiment and the oceans, lakes, seas, and other bodies of water near the places Black people call home. Opening with a view of the artist and another performer (Kesean Abrams), both dressed in white, the video shows the pair silently sharing time at the beach. Eventually, they enter the crystalline waters to perform a ritual. Against the backdrop of the history of the Black Atlantic, the spare poetry of this performance generates a kaleidoscope of connections between Black bodies and water. Using the imagery of baptism, it also celebrates water as a site of rebirth and regeneration.
About the Artist
Racquel Rowe is an interdisciplinary artist from the island of Barbados currently residing in Canada. She’s exhibited widely across Canada and holds an MFA from the University of Waterloo and a BA in History and Studio Art from the University of Guelph. Her practice is continuously influenced by many aspects of history, matrilineal family structures, diasporic communities, and her upbringing in Barbados. Her work includes performance, video, photo, painting, drawing and installation.
Accessibility
Racquel Rowe: Bodies of Water will appear outside the Owens Art Gallery, in the picture window from dusk until dawn, and simultaneously streamed online.
Top Image: Raquel Rowe, Bodies of Water, 2023, 8:00 min, video, filmed by Malik Mings, courtesy of the artist
