Every day, thousands of tonnes of oil sail in large ships off the coasts of Ushant, Brittany, France, where the turbulent currents of the Atlantic meet those of the English Channel — a place known to sailors as the busiest ocean highway, despite its extreme sailing conditions. Every winter, the Atlantic is the scene of oceanic fury. The wind blows, the sea rages, and the rocks are teeth ready to bite. In these stormy conditions, every ship carrying oil poses a threat to the rich marine ecosystems and local wildlife. In 1978, the small village of Portsall experienced one of the largest oil spills in history, caused by the sinking of the oil tanker Amoco Cadiz, which spilled 230,000 tonnes of crude oil on the coast, leaving all the beaches, shores and coves in the surrounding 300 km covered with black, viscous and toxic unrefined oil. 40,000 professionals and volunteers cleaned up the coastline for six months and it took more than seven years for the local marine species and flora and fauna to fully recover. Following this ecological tragedy, the French Navy commissioned the Abeille Flandre, an 80-metre-long emergency high seas towing vessel designed to prevent human and ecological disasters. With a crew of twelve sailors, commonly known as ‘Chasseurs de Tempêtes’ (Storm Hunters), this French salvage tug can sail the most violent waves to save ships in trouble. Thanks to these intrepid men who face the ocean’s wrath, no maritime tragedy has occurred in the region since.

Taking its title from the courageous sailors who navigate the tumultuous oceanic waters to prevent human and ecological disasters, Chasseurs de Tempêtes (Storm Hunters) is a group exhibition that addresses environmental issues in coastal regions, including plastic pollution and oil pollution. The exhibition reflects on various aspects of anthropogenic climate change and on the wider impacts of human activit  on natural marine and coastal habitats. Bringing together new and existing works by Paulo Arraiano, Rebecca Brueder, Josèfa Ntjam and Pedro Valdez
Cardoso, the exhibition references several contemporary concerns such as globalisation, pollution, and the repositioning of material as a by-product of the colonial era. Adopting the lens of the ocean as a living entity, Chasseurs de Tempêtes (Storm Hunters) seeks to explore different ways of engaging with the oceans and aquatic intelligence by embodying oceanic feeling and thinking.

This exhibition is part of the crosscultural season between Portugal and France 2022. It will take place in PORTA33 from the 19th of March 2022 to the 25th of June 2022, and in CAC Passerelle
from the 14th of October 2022 to the 14th of January 2023.