The First Underwater Museum In Europe

Under the blue waves of the Atlantic Ocean, a radical creative project has grown out from the coast of Lanzarote, one of Spain’s most charming Canary Islands. Emerging as a stunning mix of art, nature, and environmental consciousness, the first underwater museum in Europe, the Museo Atlántico

Designed and created by visionary British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, this subaquatic gallery features more than three hundred life-size sculptural pieces, each a tribute to human ingenuity and environmental consciousness. Located 14 meters below the surface, these eerie sculptures cover an amazing 2,500 square meters of once desolate seabed, turning it into a living, changing masterwork.

The site of the museum within Lanzarote’s UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve is no accident. Carefully created from pH-neutral concrete, Taylor’s sculptures are not only stationary artworks but also living canvases meant to support marine life. Over time, these buildings transform into vivid manmade reefs that draw a variety of aquatic life and build flourishing ecosystems where formerly only sand existed.

Among the most arresting works is “The Raft of Lampedusa,” a moving homage to Théodore Géricault’s “Raft of the Medusa.” Featuring 13 migrants cast adrift, this moving work reminds us of the continuous humanitarian disaster in the Mediterranean. Inspired by a young refugee called Abdel Kader, the figurehead of this installation captures the hopes and dangers experienced by people trying a better life across hostile seas.

Likewise striking is “Crossing the Rubicon,” a provocative group of thirty-five figures marching toward a massive thirty-meter long wall. This installation emphasizes our shared sleepwalk towards ecological disaster and symbolizes mankind’s unstable connection with the surroundings. Ironically positioned in the fluid expanse of the ocean, the wall questions ideas of ownership and limits in our linked planet.

Comprising more than 200 life-size figures arranged in a whirl, the “Human Gyre” is a potent metaphor for our fragility in the face of natural might. It reminds us of our inextricable link to the oceans and their indispensible part in preserving life on Earth.

Through scuba diving trips or glass-bottom boats, visitors to this remarkable museum can explore its beauties from a different angle. The museum becomes an ever-changing display blurring the boundaries between art and nature as marine life progressively inhabits these sculptures.

The Museum Atlántico is evidence of Taylor’s dedication to environmental art. Building on his earlier underwater projects in the Caribbean and Cancún, this European first represents a turning point in his creative development. It honors the victories of those who negotiate the choppy seas of life as well as pays sad homage to those whose dreams remain unfulfilled in the depths of the ocean.

Taylor has given the world a great meditation on our relationship with the sea, our fellow humans, and the earth we call home in building this submerged wonder. The Museo Atlántico is a call to action, a reminder of our obligation to safeguard the amazing but delicate marine life all around us, not only an art show.