I don’t know how to swim presents a suite of paintings and a collaborative performance work deriving from a study of older paintings that explore staining and natural pigmentation of the canvas. Conceptually, the paintings reflect the act of swimming and how many young BIPOC men struggle with a multitude of mental health issues. Highlighting the act of swimming is a metaphor for accepting those issues and actively working with them under oppressive systems in place. I don’t know how to swim properly. I just do it.
With live performances by Nicolas Currie, Olivia wood and Christopher Robin.