The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia MOCA) proudly announces Duke Riley: O’er the Wide and Plastic Sea, opening with an Exhibition Preview reception on Thursday, February 6, 2025, and welcoming the public on Friday, February 7. This exhibition showcases two decades of work by contemporary American artist Duke Riley, a New England native now based in Brooklyn, whose work has been widely exhibited nationally and internationally. Riley is known for his innovative installations, videos, sculptures, and drawings inspired by maritime and nautical history. His works, which evoke the aesthetics and imagery of early Americana and maritime craft, are rooted in folkloric narrative while addressing contemporary issues. The solo exhibition highlights several bodies of work shown together for the first time as well as several new pieces that reflect the unique landscape of Virginia Beach, curated by Melissa Messina, an independent curator and former graduate schoolmate of Riley’s.
"As Duke Riley's former graduate classmate in the early 2000s, it has been exciting to watch his work spark the imaginations of so many around the world,” said Messina. “He has always been an exceptional talent and a unique voice in American art. It is an honor to have the opportunity to curate a survey that looks at so much of his creative output over the past two decades. Doing so in Virginia Beach, for such an engaged audience, adds another level of enthusiasm around the project for Duke and me."
This exhibition features playful fishing lures made of ocean debris and Riley’s iconic scrimshaw sculptures, in which he replaces traditional whale bone with discarded plastics like detergent bottles. Many of the objects in this exhibition are created from trash collected from the Virginia Beach area. Created in response to Riley’s time researching the region, a new sculptural series that plays on Victorian-era beachside tourist souvenirs makes its museum debut. Riley has etched naval destroyers onto plastic “ruby glass” vessels, making a connection between America’s heightened military might and the industrial era, which together gave rise to the economy of leisure.
Riley’s signature style inspired by maritime history and urban waterways explores the intersection of institutional power and the natural world. His fascination with nautical themes is front and center in this exhibition with works that depict historic ships, such as the sunken battleship USS Monitor, created with recycled plastic tile mosaics.
Among the most striking pieces are the oversized sailor's valentines—a traditional gift that sailors would give to loved ones after a long voyage. Riley reimagines these tokens of affection, assembling them from shells and found plastic trash, including buoy parts, mechanical pencils, floss sticks, and disposable lighters. These poignant creations serve as a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of human society and our waterways and oceans.
Riley’s works convey highly original—sometimes satirical but always clever—messages reflective of the American spirit. For years, his artistic practice has been one of championing the underdog, heroically evoking the scrappy voyager who, through gumption and ingenuity, intends to reach a beacon in uncharted waters. In this way, Riley channels the possibility that our shared history of resistance might also be what generates unorthodox solutions to the challenges that plague our time.
"This is a truly special moment for Virginia MOCA,” says Alison Byrne, executive director of Virginia MOCA. “We've been following Duke Riley's incredible work for years, making numerous trips to his Brooklyn studio and even bringing him down to Virginia Beach to experience our unique coastal environment firsthand. To finally host his art here, especially with this exhibition's deep connections to our local landscape and maritime heritage, is incredibly exciting. We are equally thrilled about the possibilities for engaging our partners with educational programming inspired by Duke's unique approach to art and environmental advocacy. His thought-provoking creations are sure to spark meaningful conversations and offer our visitors a truly memorable experience."