Odyssey

The myth of Odysseus, most famously narrated by Greek poet Homer in The Odyssey, is defined by the hero’s multiyear quest to return to his kingdom of Ithaca. By the time Odysseus reached his homeland twenty years after first departing it, he was nearly unrecognizable to his countrymen and household. Though deeply transformed by his adventure, the guiding principle of his journey remained constant, pulling him homeward.

Each artist here has undertaken their own transformative odyssey. Encompassing a multitude of cultures, ethnicities, and personalities, their journeys have involved experiences—personal, social, and cultural—that profoundly changed them as individuals. Their work illuminates the myriad forms in which an odyssey takes shape. In these pieces, a journey homeward can cross multiple planes: deeply internal, starkly material, and ineffably fantastical. One’s surroundings and sense of self are ephemeral, always in motion—a site of tension and transformation.

Exhibited here for the first time, these artworks offer a kaleidoscopic exploration of the concept of exploration itself.

CURATOR

Sadie MacDonald