The Sainsbury Centre presents A World of Water, an exhibition exploring our shared and increasingly precarious relationship to the sea. Curated by John Kenneth Paranada, the first Curator of Art and Climate Change in a UK museum, A World of Water shines a light on the collective, global effort to mitigate the impacts of climate change and to support action which restores marine ecosystems.

Spanning works by British and international artists from as early as 1540 to the present day, A World of Water showcases some incredible artists who bring to life their unique perspectives of evolving marine ecosystems and oceanic habitats. It features works by historical and contemporary artists including Maggi Hambling, Eva Rothschild, Julian Charrière, John Crome, Olafur Eliasson, Josh Kline, George Vincent, Hendricus Theodorus Wijdeveld, and many more.

Looking back to the cross-pollination between Norfolk and the Netherlands throughout the 16th century as its starting point, the exhibition presents maps and atlases dating back five hundred years, and includes seascapes typical of the Dutch Golden Age, tracing their influence through time to inspire the artists of the Norwich School in 19th-century East Anglia.

Bringing together archival materials with historical and contemporary works – from turbulent seascapes to abstract representations of water’s dynamic forms – A World of Water traces the shift in artistic perceptions of the sea, from romanticised seascapes to urgent reflections on environmental crisis, adaptation and resilience.

A World of Water is one of three concurrent exhibitions – A World of Water, Darwin in Paradise Camp: Yuki Kihara and Sea Inside – in a programme exploring the fundamental question Can the Seas Survive Us?