“Lost at Sea,” 2025.
Lately, artist Sarah Joncas has been especially fond of the ocean. In the Canadian artist’s most recent canvases, women nestle into fields of sea anemones, slip shells and starfish into their hair, dive deep underwater, and, like monuments, emerge from rippling waves. It should perhaps come as no surprise that these themes dominate her latest solo exhibition, aptly titled Lost at Sea.
Now on view at Thinkspace Projects in Los Angeles, Lost at Sea gathers 16 of Joncas’ new paintings, alongside three works on paper. The featured works primarily focus upon women, their faces thoughtful and at times almost absentminded, as if overtaken by a pleasant daydream or undisclosed memories. Surrounding these women are dream-like and abstract motifs, including fish, feathers, aquatic plants, and anatomical hearts, creating a visual contrast between the more placid figures at the center of the compositions. It’s as though the women in each scene have already accepted their fates, being one of pure unity with the natural world around them.
Still, it’s unclear whether that harmony is optimistic or something potentially menacing. Many paintings incorporate tentacles as a recurring presence, slyly crawling out onto the canvas. In Coming to the Surface, for example, a red tentacle sweeps across the central woman’s shoulder, seemingly reminding her of the water from which she has just resurfaced. The gesture, of course, could be comforting, but it strikes a more ominous tone when juxtaposed with the painting’s title. Fight or Flight is similar—a woman’s hair is tied not just with a ribbon, but with another tentacle. Aside from holding up her hair, the tentacle has also wrapped itself around an airplane, resulting in an atmosphere of suspense and uncertainty.
But these conflicting moods don’t seem at odds with the exhibition’s scope. After all, Lost at Sea is a meditation upon the ocean, and how it can inspire everything from awe to fear. In some paintings, being lost seems vital to self-reflection and peace; in others, it’s a disorienting, if not altogether frightening, experience. That tension is precisely what interests Joncas.
“Often posited in heightened emotional contexts, her protagonists are framed by suspenseful allusions to an overarching story or caught in the midst of ambiguous or invisible unfolding scenes,” Thinkspace writes of the exhibition. “This penchant for plot, mystery, and symbolism is captured in moments of dynamic stillness in which action is both suggested and seized.”
Sarah Joncas: Lost at Sea is currently open at Thinkspace Projects through November 1, 2025.
Artist Sarah Joncas’ latest solo exhibition, Lost at Sea, considers how the ocean can serve as a source of both awe and fear.
“Coming to Surface,” 2025.
“Ocean Hue,” 2025.
“Deep Blue,” 2025.
“Lost Souls,” 2025.
“Coraline,” 2025.
Sarah Joncas: Lost at Sea is on view at Thinkspace Projects through November 1, 2025.
“Fight or Flight,” 2025.
“Valkyrie,” 2025.
“Banished the Land,” 2025.
“A Dream of Home,” 2025.a
“Queen of Hearts,” 2025.
Exhibition Information:
Sarah Joncas
Lost at Sea
October 11–November 1, 2025
Thinkspace Projects
4217 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016
Sarah Joncas: Website | Instagram
Thinkspace Projects: Website | Instagram
All images via Thinkspace Projects.
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