RELICS: AN EYE ONCE BLIND
JOSHUA SERAFIN
2026
2026
TRelics is a work-in-progress performance and the first manifestation of the Lost
Ancestors series – an evolving cosmology of work that the artist is developing in the
coming year.
In this series, the artist explores the complex histories, connections, and traumas within their family's lineage. The work departs from the journey of their great-great-grandfather, Shentaro Esaki, a first-generation Japanese migrant worker who moved to the Philippines in 1903. Joshua's interest lies in uncovering forgotten narratives and examining genealogical heritage, particularly in relation to its ties to colonial history. The work raises questions such as: How many people in the world have experienced this?
What happens when we lose touch with our ancestors and our lineage? Do we truly know who we are if we don’t know where we come from? What does the body become in the act of departure? What does the body become when we exorcise generational violence?
Migration, displacement, and trauma disrupt lineages, leaving behind fragments of what once was. Vision: Serpent seeks to navigate these ruptures, manifesting, interrogating what is lost, what remains, and what can be reclaimed. After a series of various iterations and presentations, Relics: An Eye Once Blind will premiere in September 2026 at Viernulvier Gent.
After a series of various iterations and presentations, Relics: An Eye Once Blind will premiere in September 2026 at Viernulvier Gent.
Premiere: september 23, 2026, VIERNULVIER, GENT
www.joshuaserafin.com
www.caravanproduction.be/artists/joshua-serafin/relics
@joshudoser
@caravanproduction
In this series, the artist explores the complex histories, connections, and traumas within their family's lineage. The work departs from the journey of their great-great-grandfather, Shentaro Esaki, a first-generation Japanese migrant worker who moved to the Philippines in 1903. Joshua's interest lies in uncovering forgotten narratives and examining genealogical heritage, particularly in relation to its ties to colonial history. The work raises questions such as: How many people in the world have experienced this?
What happens when we lose touch with our ancestors and our lineage? Do we truly know who we are if we don’t know where we come from? What does the body become in the act of departure? What does the body become when we exorcise generational violence?
Migration, displacement, and trauma disrupt lineages, leaving behind fragments of what once was. Vision: Serpent seeks to navigate these ruptures, manifesting, interrogating what is lost, what remains, and what can be reclaimed. After a series of various iterations and presentations, Relics: An Eye Once Blind will premiere in September 2026 at Viernulvier Gent.
After a series of various iterations and presentations, Relics: An Eye Once Blind will premiere in September 2026 at Viernulvier Gent.
Premiere: september 23, 2026, VIERNULVIER, GENT
www.joshuaserafin.com
www.caravanproduction.be/artists/joshua-serafin/relics
@joshudoser
@caravanproduction
CREDITS
Credits Relics (work in progress) Concept and Performance Joshua Serafin LIvemusic Gorkem Sen and fake moss/Pierre Bayet Sound Design Klsr Artistic assistance Mario Barrantes Espinoza Commissioned by Rockbund Art Museum (CH) Coproduction Kanal–Centre Pompidou (BE)
Photo by Michiel Devijver
BOOKING INFO
Venue: black box, white cube, grey space, club, other
Duration: 20-30min, 60min, 2h
Set-up: 1-2 days
Travel Party: 2pax (BE), 3pax (2 BE, 1 Cyprus), 5pax (3 BE, 1 Cyprus, 1 Australia)
Shipping: No
Other:
Various forms of presentation possible
Duration: 20-30min, 60min, 2h
Set-up: 1-2 days
Travel Party: 2pax (BE), 3pax (2 BE, 1 Cyprus), 5pax (3 BE, 1 Cyprus, 1 Australia)
Shipping: No
Other:
Various forms of presentation possible
PHOTOS
1-3 © Michiel Devijver
