Is the sea merely a blue body of water? Or is it a living, breathing force that connects our collective past to the decisions shaping our future?
ARoS Aarhus Art Museum is hosting the captivating world of Anna Boghiguian (b. 1946). “The Sunken Boat” narrates global maritime history, rising sea levels, and the climate crisis through immersive installations that draw the viewer in. In Boghiguian’s hands, the ocean becomes both a motif and a living repository of memory.
Marie Antoinette and Freud on the Same Chessboard
One of the exhibition’s most striking works is the monumental 8 x 8 meter installation “The Chess Game” (2022).
Boghiguian stages a symbolic chess match with 24 hand-painted, human-sized figures made from cardboard, wood, and acrylic panels. Who isn’t in this game? Marie Antoinette, Sigmund Freud, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Franz Ferdinand… These giants of politics, science, and philosophy face off in a dynamic struggle for power and influence. History here transforms into a vast playing field where moves are made.
Voices Beneath the Water: From Alexandria to Aarhus
The installation that gives the exhibition its name and confronts the urgent realities of the climate crisis, “The Sunken Boat: A Glimpse into Past Histories” (2025), is a true atmospheric wonder.
At the center floats a diver sculpture made of papier-mâché, hovering over a massive pile of sand. It is surrounded by glass seashells, underwater swimmers, and painted paper fish.
But the real magic begins when you feel it in your ears. The installation is accompanied by a soundscape composed of sea sounds recorded from the cities of Alexandria (Egypt), Margate (England), and Aarhus (Denmark). A fresco painted directly on the gallery wall by Boghiguian anchors this underwater tableau in time and space.
This exhibition, where historical narratives meet personal memories and current crises intersect with art, is on view at ARoS until April 19, 2026.
Artist: Anna Boghiguian
Work Title: The Sunken Boat
Venue: ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, Denmark
Curator: Louise Bjeldbak Henriksen
Themes: Maritime History, Climate Crisis, Political Chess, Soundscapes.
