Moving Off the Land IV
Joan Jonas
2020.11
Joan Jonas
Moving Off the Land IV, 2014-2020
Installation with two single-channel video projections (Whale, 2019, color, sound; Mermaid, Mirror Pool and Octopus, 2019, color, sound), wooden theater structure with single-channel video (Jamaica: Fishermen, 2019, color, sound), ten glass mirrors, seven ink on paper performance drawings (Body Drawing, Moby Dick, Red Fish I-IV, Stingray) from “Moving off the Land” performance at Museo del Prado, 26 February 2020
Overall dimensions variable
Commissioned by TBA21–Academy
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection
© VEGAP, Madrid, 2026
Joan Jonas
Moving Off the Land II, 2019-2020
Artistic research project
Commissioned by TBA21–Academy
Installation view: Joan Jonas - Moving Off the Land II, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain, 2020
Photo: Roberto Ruiz | TBA21 | © VEGAP, Madrid, 2026
2020.11
Joan Jonas
Moving Off the Land IV, 2014-2020
Installation with two single-channel video projections (Whale, 2019, color, sound; Mermaid, Mirror Pool and Octopus, 2019, color, sound), wooden theater structure with single-channel video (Jamaica: Fishermen, 2019, color, sound), ten glass mirrors, seven ink on paper performance drawings (Body Drawing, Moby Dick, Red Fish I-IV, Stingray) from “Moving off the Land” performance at Museo del Prado, 26 February 2020
Overall dimensions variable
Commissioned by TBA21–Academy
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection
© VEGAP, Madrid, 2026
Joan Jonas
Moving Off the Land IV, 2014-2020
Installation with two single-channel video projections (Whale and Mermaid, Mirror Pool, Octopus), wooden viewing box with single-channel video (Jamaica: Fishermen), ten glass mirrors, seven performance drawings from Moving Off the Land, Museo Nacional del Prado, February 26, 2020: Body Drawing; Moby Dick; Red Fish I-IV; Stingray
6 min 29 sec (video Whale), 37 min 11 sec (video Mermaid, Mirror Pool, Octopus), 4 min 06 sec (video Jamaica: Fishermen)
110 x 239 x 69 cm (wooden viewing box), 46 x 120 x 45 cm (wooden bench)
120 x 60 x 3 cm (each mirror)
70 x 100 cm (each drawing, unframed)
Overall dimensions variable
Commissioned by TBA21–Academy
Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection
© VEGAP, Madrid, 2026
Installation view: The new presentation of the Museo Reina Sofía collection, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain, 2021
Photo: Román Lores | Courtesy the artist
Joan Jonas
Moving Off the Land II, 2019-2020
Artistic research project
Commissioned by TBA21–Academy
Installation view: Joan Jonas - Moving Off the Land II, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain, 2020
Photo: Roberto Ruiz | TBA21 | © VEGAP, Madrid, 2026
Joan Jonas
Moving Off the Land IV, 2014-2020
Installation with two single-channel video projections (Whale, 2019, color, sound; Mermaid, Mirror Pool and Octopus, 2019, color, sound), wooden theater structure with single-channel video (Jamaica: Fishermen, 2019, color, sound), ten glass mirrors, seven ink on paper performance drawings (Body Drawing, Moby Dick, Red Fish I-IV, Stingray) from “Moving off the Land” performance at Museo del Prado, 26 February 2020
Commissioned by TBA21–Academy
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection
Installation view: Joan Jonas - Moving Off the Land II, Ocean Space, Chiesa di San Lorenzo, Venice, 2019
Photo: Moira Ricci | © VEGAP, Madrid, 2026
Joan Jonas
Moving Off the Land IV, 2014-2020
Installation with two single-channel video projections (Whale, 2019, color, sound; Mermaid, Mirror Pool and Octopus, 2019, color, sound), wooden theater structure with single-channel video (Jamaica: Fishermen, 2019, color, sound), ten glass mirrors, seven ink on paper performance drawings (Body Drawing, Moby Dick, Red Fish I-IV, Stingray) from “Moving off the Land” performance at Museo del Prado, 26 February 2020
Commissioned by TBA21–Academy
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection
Installation view: Joan Jonas - Moving Off the Land II, Ocean Space, Chiesa di San Lorenzo, Venice, 2019
Photo: Moira Ricci | © VEGAP, Madrid, 2026
Joan Jonas
Moving Off the Land IV, 2014-2020
Installation with two single-channel video projections (Whale, 2019, color, sound; Mermaid, Mirror Pool and Octopus, 2019, color, sound), wooden theater structure with single-channel video (Jamaica: Fishermen, 2019, color, sound), ten glass mirrors, seven ink on paper performance drawings (Body Drawing, Moby Dick, Red Fish I-IV, Stingray) from “Moving off the Land” performance at Museo del Prado, 26 February 2020
Commissioned by TBA21–Academy
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection
Installation view: Joan Jonas - Moving Off the Land II, Ocean Space, Chiesa di San Lorenzo, Venice, 2019
Photo: Moira Ricci | © VEGAP, Madrid, 2026
- Fecha
- 2020
- En exhibición
- Song of Water, France, 1 de octubre de 2026
- Medio
- Installation with two single-channel video projections (Whale, 2019, color, sound; Mermaid, Mirror Pool and Octopus, 2019, color, sound), wooden theater structure with single-channel video (Jamaica: Fishermen, 2019, color, sound), ten glass mirrors, seven ink on paper performance drawings (Body Drawing, Moby Dick, Red Fish I-IV, Stingray) from “Moving off the Land” performance at Museo del Prado, 26 February 2020
- Dimensión
- Overall dimensions variable
- Crédito
Commissioned by TBA21–Academy
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection- Esta obra de arte forma parte de la donación y el préstamo a largo plazo de TBA21 al Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza.
Detalles
"La naturaleza siempre ha desempeñado un papel importante en mi trabajo. En los últimos años, la situación medioambiental se ha vuelto cada vez más importante para mí y más visible en mi trabajo, debido a las crecientes amenazas que se ciernen sobre nuestros medios de vida y los de muchas otras especies."
- Joan Jonas
"Joan Jonas es una de las artistas más reconocidas de su generación. Es famosa por su innovador trabajo en el ámbito de la performance, la instalación y el vídeo desde la década de 1960... Desde entonces, su obra ha abordado cuestiones complejas relacionadas con la relación del ser humano con el medio ambiente."
- Ute Meta Bauer
Moving Off the Land se antoja como una micro exposición en si misma, una instalación que opera como una plataforma interdisciplinar y performativa donde teje un encuentro entre humanos y criaturas marinas, sumergiendo al espectador en un universo donde ciencia, poesía y mito conviven. Proyecciones de peces fluorescentes y mamíferos marinos se entrelazan con grabaciones de jóvenes colaboradores y fragmentos de textos literarios, creando un diálogo entre la percepción humana y la vida bajo el agua. Inspirada por investigaciones sobre biofluorescencia y lenguaje animal, la pieza despliega una poética visual que altera la manera en que miramos y sentimos el mundo natural. Los intérpretes interactúan con las proyecciones y con objetos sencillos que transforman el espacio, mientras la música y los sonidos marinos envuelven la experiencia. Celebrando la biodiversidad y la fragilidad de los océanos, la obra invita a contemplar lo que podríamos perder si no protegemos estos ecosistemas. Es, sin duda, una de las piezas más emblemáticas de la colección, un portal hipnótico que conecta emoción, conciencia y maravilla frente al misterio del océano.