Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21) Academy has opened its 2026 program at Ocean Space in Venice with the exhibition 'Tide of Returns'. Developed by the Repatriates Collective, the show features artists, filmmakers, and Indigenous communities from across the globe, transforming the former Church of San Lorenzo into an immersive environment. It moves beyond conventional restitution debates by presenting repatriation as a living, tidal process expressed through ritual, memory, and community care, using materials like sand from Anindilyakwa Country and returned shell dolls.
The exhibition matters because it reframes the often legalistic and institutional discourse around returning cultural belongings into a poetic, relational practice. By centering water as both metaphor and method, it connects geographies and emphasizes continuity, cultural survival, and intergenerational knowledge transmission. This approach aligns with broader efforts in ecological and epistemic repair, positioning art as a vital site for softer, more expansive forms of homecoming rooted in reciprocity and slow relation-building.