Curated by Brooklyn J. Pakathi and Mekhala Dave, and designed by Maria Rudakova, all students of Die Angewandte — Undulating Currents is a research-led exhibition that asks the question: In the face of our current ecological crisis, shaped by both historical colonial legacies and contemporary capitalist impulses, how do we begin to engage with our material world?

The exhibition focuses on the materiality of oil and water—two of the most exploited resources. Undulating Currents brings together international and local Black diasporan, ecofeminist, and queer* artists to explore layers of decolonial perspectives, hidden narratives, and aesthetic sensibilities that liquefy place-based struggles. Originating from a commitment to celebrating Black life, Undulating Currents crystallises moments of resistance by merging storytelling and lived experiences. It opens up possibilities for world-making that interweaves the past and present, aiming toward a collective future.

Extensively, it serves as a site for the exchange of knowledge, exploring the intersection of art, mind, and matter through the juxtaposition of two distinct yet interconnected resources: oil and water. Undulating Currents combines artistic practice, scholarly research, and curatorial practice to address the interconnections of environmental and social injustices.

The exhibition is framed as part of Mekhala Dave’s doctoral research titled ‘Ocean in Us: Relations and Rights’ at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, which employs an epistemological approach, integrating decolonial thinking and situated knowledge to weave a kaleidoscopic tapestry of fluid encounters through collaborative and participatory forms of action in re-thinking ocean stewardship.

Undulating Currents is produced by the University Gallery with the support of Jenni Tischer,Marei Buhmann, Department of Transmediale Kunst, The Library of The University for AppliedArts and Klasse für Alle.

*BPOC stands for ‘Black and Indigenous people, and People of Colour’ and is a self-identifying term. While we use the term BPOC, we acknowledge the limitations of this terminology. This includes people who identify as Black, brown, people of colour, Global Majority, mixed-race, multiple heritage and/or are from the Global South, and/or are East and South-East Asian, West Asian, Asian, Middle Eastern, African, African-Caribbean, Caribbean, Latinx, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, or First Nations, and diasporas.