“Life is movement. Movement is life-giving.”
– Kadeesha Athura
A new exhibition at Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth
Embodied Activism marks a bold new chapter in Sivan Rubinstein’s interdisciplinary practice, bringing her expertise in dance, projection, and installation into the realm of visual arts. This exhibition navigates the profound relationships between bodies, spaces, and urgent global issues, offering a transformative perspective on creation as it emerges from destruction.
Through movement, Rubinstein unpacks the complexities of the climate crisis, migration, and womanhood. Her work transforms the gallery into a site of lived experience, where choreography becomes a form of storytelling, and installation an archive of collective memory. The pieces in Embodied Activism challenge us to consider the resilience of the human body as it moves through disruption and adapts to ever-changing environments.
The exhibition’s visceral, choreographic elements invite viewers to reflect on the fragility and interconnectedness of life. A choreography of things takes place across the boundaries of the exhibition space, exploring themes of migration. The climate crisis is embodied in the interplay between destruction and regeneration, where movement mirrors the rhythms of collapse and renewal. Womanhood is celebrated as a site of strength and vulnerability, central to the narratives of survival and transformation Rubinstein presents.
Rubinstein’s work asks us to inhabit the liminal spaces between action and reflection, to feel the urgency of the issues that define our shared moment, and to consider how our bodies—individually and collectively—carry histories, identities, and futures. Embodied Activism is not only a reflection of the challenges we face but also a call to action. It reminds us that movement, both literal and metaphorical, is a force for change—a way to connect, resist, and reimagine our place within a shifting world.
Embodied Activism is co-commissioned by The Place and Aspex Portsmouth, and supported by Arts Council England, Counterpoint Arts and Portsmouth City Council. With particular thanks to Dr. Sarah Fine, Fellow at Cambridge University, Sivan’s long-time Academic research partner.
About the Artist
Sivan Rubinstein is a London-based choreographer, movement director and researcher recognised for the creation of highly visual dance works. Her work forms different series and sits at the intersection of embodied artistic collaboration and academic research. These series include the Climate Futures Series, Migration Through Dance Series and the Pelvishood Series.
Sivan was Artist in Residence at King’s College London (2019-2020) and is currently WorkPlace Artist at The Place London (2020-2025) and Artist in Residence at Cambridge University. Her work has been presented at Bloomsbury Festival (Wellcome Collection, London), Being Human Festival (London), Arts and Humanities Festival (King’s College London), Sotheby’s, Lilian Baylis Studio (Sadler’s Wells), Migration Museum, The Place (London), Turner Contemporary (Margate), European Dancehouse Network (B.Motion Festival, The Dutch Dance Festival (Netherlands) and the YAP Residency Program in Beijing, China.
In July 2024, Sivan completed a short residency with Aspex Portsmouth. This residency involved both community workshops focused on dance and movement with sanctuary seekers at the Portsmouth City of Sanctuary Hub as well as research and practice-based mentorship with Aspex’s Curator and Programme Manager, Ricardo Reverón Blanco. Sivan’s residency formed the basis for developing many of the works in Embodied Activism.
