Tide of Returns, an exhibition running from March 28 until October 11, 2026 at Ocean Space, commissioned and produced by TBA21- Academy, explores the role of art and water in shaping the processes of repatriation through the work of an artist collective, Indigenous communities, and filmmakers. On May 9th, 2026, the Tide of Returns opens its doors to guests of the Venice Biennale at the former San Lorenzo church.
The exhibition sees both wings of the former Church of San Lorenzo come alive with newly commissioned multimedia works. In the west wing, the Repatriates Collective welcomes viewers into an immersive installation combining sand, thousands of characters made of shell and textile, video and sound. Sand from Noeleen Lalara’s land anchors the work, with a vast dune transformed into a living landscape of totems, clans, and songlines. Indigenous dolls made at the Anindilyakwa art center and Laimi Kakololo become a chorus of ancestral messengers, acting as vessels of memory and continuity. These characters are brought to life in film and the installation is saturated in songs that carry wisdom across water, bridging two communities across continents, in a sound composition by Rebekah Wilson.
In the east wing, a textile–video installation by Verena Melgarejo Weinandt traces gestures of care, belonging, and collective healing. Woven, blue-toned fabrics occupy the space, threaded with black braids that recall both flowing water and strands of hair. Embedded within the textile landscape, a three-channel video follows a performance of preparing, braiding, and washing textiles in a river. Through this cyclical act—hands weaving, water cleansing—the work meditates on the continuity of bodies of water, where rivers become oceans. The intertwining of hair and current evokes ancestral memory, with water carrying histories of care and resilience.
For more information about the Repatriates participation in the Venice Biennale 2026, refer to the following articles:
- 5 Venice exhibitions to see during the Art Biennale by Vogue Adria
- What is returned can’t be sent back
- Tide of Returns by Artribune
- 10 Must-see exhibitions at the Venice Biennale by Artsy