We Are The Sea is a solo exhibition by Filipino artist Josephine Turalba, curated by Caroline Ha Thuc. Drawing inspiration from Pacific thinker Epeli Hauʻofa’s powerful declaration—“We are the sea, we are the ocean”—Turalba invites audiences to shift perspective: from land-bound isolation to an expansive, oceanic worldview in which no island stands alone and all beings are interconnected. Through her mutant sea creatures born from the intertwining of mythological and technological worlds, the artist envisions new narratives able to make sense of our turbid and complicated times.
Josephine Turalba is a Manila-based transdisciplinary artist whose work explores issues of divide and convergence within a volatile geopolitical world order. Her nomadic relation to various forms of media, including performance, installation, experimental video, tapestry, photography, and painting, allows her to delve into her obsessions with sociopolitical narratives, myths, and personal histories.
Turalba is a highly accomplished artist and academic. She has showcased her work at prestigious events and institutions including the Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, the 10th Nakanojo Biennale 2025 (where she was also an artist-in-residence), the 2016 London Biennale, European Cultural Center (concurrent with the 56th Venice Biennale), 12th Cairo Biennale, Arter Space Istanbul, and Cultural Center of the Philippines. She is currently the Director of the Artistic Research Center at Philippine Women’s University and a Research Fellow at the MIT Future Heritage Lab. She holds an MFA in New Media. She has served in various leadership roles, including as Director of Artistic Research at the Philippine Women’s University and as a Research Fellow at the MIT Future Heritage Lab and Program for Arts, Culture, and Technology. Turalba holds a Master’s degree in Research from Sint-Lucas Antwerpen, KdG Belgium, as well as an MFA in New Media from the Transart Institute, validated by Donau Universität Krems, Austria.
This exhibition coincides with UN World Ocean’s Day, a yearly event that 10 Chancery Lane Gallery supports by offering funds for Oceanic Global and a curated exhibition around the theme of the Oceans. This is a Women Artists’ Art Week World (WAAW) Exhibition, dedicated to advancing gender equality in the arts by supporting and promoting women artists.
