Evident Vorticity -

A river of seawater called the Atlantic North Equatorial Current flows westwards off the coast of Central Africa. It interacts with the northeastern coast of South America, and passes into the Caribbean Sea, continuing north of the Straits of Florida. It moves up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east toward Northwest Europe as the North Atlantic Current. Eventually, it splits in two, with the southern stream, the Canary Current, recirculating off West Africa. This circulation creates a transoceanic cultural bridge that ties all three women artistically, culturally, and geographically.

Born in Jamaica, Jamilah Sabur represents the Caribbean Sea passage of the current. Clusters of manganese nodules carpeting the seabed become Sabur's central protagonist and formal motif. These images were captured in waters of territorial ambiguity to document a prized mineral resource. Sabur's work sheds light on how scientific and governmental paradigms are overlaid onto our planet and how practices of extraction and exploration continue to inform how we speak about and define boundaries and borders.

miami native Frances Trombly marks the Straits of Florida hurling the current north. Trombly's new work weaves variations of dyed textile into a fabric speckled with textures likened to sediment deposits left in rock formations. They echo the mineral deposits captured in the Sabur's obscure seabed photos. Only Trombly has layered each line as the warp and weft of the loom intertwine in the eternal rhythm of time. The seabed layer over millions of years and Trombly's over several months.

Norway is home to Margrethe Aanestad. She marks the Northwest European split and return of the current cycle. Aanestad's work gives us a stillness as if the slowing current lurks and shifts. Her atmospheric compositions mix the seabed, sediment, rock, water, and sky. Together mixing in front of our eyes as the vortical elements regroup to start over.

All three artists—linked together by a transoceanic current. Three women— artistically, culturally, and geographically. Jamaica, South Florida, and Norway in an evident vorticity.

- Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova, 2024

Left; Jamilah Sabur, Eltanin (bleu outremer), 2022
Center; Frances Trombly, Weaving (The Fates), 2020
Right: Margrethe Aanestad, Silent Transition II, pastel on paper, 2020