FROM THE CURATOR

  "Electric Liquid, an exhibition by Johab Silva, explores the enduring power of water—its power to shape and reshape our lives, its commodification as a utility and dumping ground, and its increasing scarcity. Through large-scale projection mapping, neo-noir lighting, virtual reality, sculptural installations, and traditional painting, Silva constructs a futuristic, synthetic world that sheds light on this complex issue from multiple perspectives.

The exhibition opens with Days and Nights at the Sea, a projection documenting a durational performance in which the artist stands on the sand, back turned to the ocean. This piece highlights human vulnerability in the face of nature’s power. His projected gaze is directed toward Submerged Stories: The Last Oasis, a projection on the gallery’s back wall that reinterprets a historic flood in Canoas City, Brazil, near his home in São Paulo. This disaster gained international attention due to the striking image of a horse stranded on a rooftop, struggling to survive. Silva notes, “because media focused on the horse, the larger crisis—the flood’s devastating impact, caused by poor urban planning and city management—was overlooked. This work aims to expose how governments worldwide underestimate the power of water in urban areas, urging real, immediate solutions.”

Another featured work, The Prism and the Cycle No. 1-3, examines the commercilization of water and the reality of water scarcity. The green backgrounds reference corporate water bottle labels, highlighting how water has become a commodity. Human, Brazilian jaguar, and pink dolphin skulls symbolize the beings most affected by water shortages—an issue impacting over a billion people, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The piece also calls attention to droughts in the Brazilian Amazon and their devastating effects on rivers and wildlife. Vibrant prisms and LED lighting challenge viewers to consider these issues from multiple angles while reinforcing that all perspectives ultimately point to the same problem."

Jayme McLellan 

Fulton Hall Gallery

Salisbury University

STATEMENT

I’ve noticed that much of my works revolves around water. I’m not entirely sure if it’s the movement, the reflections, water as a material, a spiritual element, its transparency, power, accessibility, preciousness, or something else entirely, but water has been a prominent element in many of my creations. Effects of erosion have been working as a strong analogy for my walk of life: a single drop of water can cause large damages in the long run. 

My personal connection with water can be traced back to a singular photograph where I’m standing, holding my dad’s hand (he has since passed away - not attached to him and he and my mom was separated). I was probably three years old when we took a trip to a park featuring a massive waterfall created by a pipe, open for the public to see. But my most significant experience with water began when we moved from Paraíba State (Northeast Brazil) to São Paulo (Southeast Brazil). São Paulo is well known as the “Terra da Garoa” (Land of Drizzle). It’s humid, with a blue sky and intense heat in the morning until about AT noon (lasting 1-2 hours), and then the sky clears and it gets hot again: this is an everyday thing until Fall and Winter comes which are very wet.  I grew up playing in the rain almost every day. Around 20 friends and I would go out in the rain to play soccer in the streets and on the soccer field. We would dive into the mud and come back home completely covered in dirt.

As I grew older, rain and water continued to surround me, whether it was dealing with rain while painting murals  on the exteriors of businesses or illegally  hitting the streets with graffiti, or even being stationary on train tracks at night, ready to tag trains with graffiti. The fun always outweighed the frustration of seeing spray paint struggle to stick to the wet surfaces.

As an adult, one of my dreams and greatest curiosities was to witness the “Encontro das Águas” (The Meeting of the Waters). This incredible phenomenon occurs in Manaus, the most well-known city in the heart of the Amazon, Brazil. It’s where two of South America’s most famous rivers meet: the Rio Negro (Black River) and the Rio Amazonas (Amazon River—the largest in the world). I had always wanted to see this moment, and during a research trip to the Amazon, I finally had the chance to see it. From a boat, I watched as the two rivers meet without mixing, as a result of chemical composition, temperature, and water speed. My emotions, as I recall that experience, were tied not only to the physical phenomenon but also to the vital importance these and other rivers have to the countless communities that depend on them.

Reflecting further on my personal experiences with water, history comes to mind, and I can’t help but think about the Atlantic Ocean— as the path and the main stage where the first Brazilian natives encountered the first colonizers. The beauty and warmth of the Atlantic waters and its horizon cannot erase history—the waters are stained and will be forever tinted by the many who used it in the past as a road for brutal purposes. This observation is not new to me, and historical artworks come to mind. Ex: "Desembarque de Cabral" - Oscar Pereira da Silva, (1865-1959); "O Descobrimento do Brasil" - Francisco Aurélio de Figueiredo e Melo (1854-1916); 

Now, I’m surrounded by water, living in a place where many lakes and rivers are easily accessible to me. However, I am acutely aware that the advantage I have is not shared by many. Years ago, I was deeply moved by BNE, who is known as a street artist (though I’m not entirely sure that label fits). He’s recognized for placing stickers, often black and white, that say “BNE was here” everywhere he can. He created the BNE Foundation, which raises awareness about water scarcity in many parts of the world. This captured my attention because I saw his practice—not just as a form of vandalism—but as an opportunity to capitalize on not just a great cause (as many falsely advertise) but on a pressing necessity humanity faces right now.

Clean water, clean oceans, drought, and the rising temperatures in the poles are just few of the issues that have been on my mind for a while. The entire planet is in a hole, in chaos. The only solution is to minimize the damage we’re doing and find ways to deal with the consequences as they come.

"We can’t plan for disasters". We can’t win against nature. So is there hope?