Leviathan is an ambitious ten-part film cycle conceived and directed by Shezad Dawood inaugurated in Venice in May 2017 to coincide with the 57th Art Biennale, looking at some of the urgent issues of our times.

In dialogue with a wide range of marine biologists, oceanographers, political scientists, neurologists and trauma specialists, Leviathan envisages a future very much like our present to consider possible links between borders, mental health and marine welfare. Each episode is taken from the point of view of a different character and their journey.

The project also contains a dynamic series of textiles, sculptures and neons, collectively imagining a world where the fault lines between marine welfare, mental health and migration are not fully understood or responded to.

Following Venice, further episodes and iterations are now planned over a four-year period, with a final presentation at the end of 2021. Touring venues include MOSTYN, Wales (UK), Barakat Contemporary, Seoul (Korea), The Atlantic Project (UK), HE.RO, Amsterdam (NL), A Tale of a Tub, Rotterdam (NL), Bluecoat, Liverpool (UK), MOCA, Toronto and Toronto Biennial (Canada), CCA Tel Aviv (Israel), La Panacée, Montpellier (F).

Further details about upcoming exhibitions, screenings and events can be found below. Further details about past presentations can be found here.