Indian Ocean

Monsoon Worlds

Carried by Monsoon, Connected by Time. 

The Indian Ocean may be the world’s youngest ocean, but its influence runs deep. Stretching between Africa and Asia, spanning 70 million square kilometres—nearly a quarter of the planet—it sustains over 35,000 marine species and nearly one-third of global biodiversity. Today, its shores connect 20 countries and nearly 30% of the world’s population. 

Propelled by powerful monsoon winds, people have crossed its waters for millennia, creating long-distance trade routes, multicultural port cities, and global networks that have transformed daily life everywhere. The plants, goods, beliefs, and technologies carried by Indian Ocean ships have shaped everything from the foods we eat to the objects we use. 

But the region’s riches also drove colonization, forced labour, industrial imitation, and environmental change. Today, as the fastest-warming ocean, the Indian Ocean sits at the centre of urgent global challenges. 

The first exhibition on the Indian Ocean in North America brings together objects from the collections at ROM and international lenders—including the British Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum, and Aga Khan Museum—to investigate the evolving relationship between humans and the ocean, connecting past narratives to today’s most pressing environmental and social issues. Through immersive sensory experiences, rare specimens, contemporary artworks, and monumental objects including a Flipflopi traditional sailing boat made entirely of recycled plastics, visitors will see, hear, and feel the ocean from the shores to seabed.