For about fifteen years, artworks have emerged under the waters with the initiative of British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor. These underwater museums, usually installed at shallow depths, offer a unique opportunity to explore the art of sculpture while spreading essential messages of environmental preservation.
Destination 3: In Lanzarote – A museum that makes an impact
The Museo Atlántico, commissioned by the Center for Art, Culture and Tourism (CACT) and the government of Lanzarote, is located in the UNESCO world biosphere reserve. Situated at a depth of 14 meters, it has been accessible to divers and snorkelers since 2016.
A monumental project
Three years of work were required to create 300 life-sized casts on a 50-meter by 50-meter sterile surface. One of the iconic works, ‘The Raft of Lampedusa’, inspired by Théodore Géricault’s famous painting, evokes the despair of shipwrecked sailors. It carries thirteen refugees towards an uncertain future, despite the presence of a rescue boat in the distance. Abdel Kader, one of the central figures of this work, left Laayoune in Western Sahara at the age of 13, and has lived in Lanzarote for 16 years.
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