Art for Awareness
The “plastic arts” helping us combat the plastic problem
FEATURE
There is no question that art is a powerful tool of expression during times of environmental and social injustice, which are often related.
Today, visual artists of various mediums are pushing boundaries, joining forces with conservation organisations, and leveraging social media, to raise awareness about plastic pollution and its toll on the ocean. Many are even calling themselves “artivists” (artists+activists) as their pieces aim to achieve large–scale, societal awareness and change.
This increase in ocean art has helped galvanise people around the world to curb their plastic consumption and demand changes in their communities.
BENJAMIN VON WONG
Benjamin Von Wong is a Chinese Canadian conceptual photographer currently focused on conservation and social impact projects. Through the years, Von Wong has mastered the art of bringing his imagination to life by staging beautiful and complex installations, and using hyper-realistic photography to capture them. His most recent artwork “The Parting of the Plastic Sea” was made possible with the help of Zero Waste Saigon and Starbucks Vietnam, and is currently exhibited at Estella Palace Shopping Mall in Vietnam. Since its completion on January 20, 2019, it has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest straw installation, and its viral status is amplifying people’s concerns with single-use plastics around the world.
See more at www.vonwong.com
Mandy Barker’s “SOUP: 500+”
In this image from Mandy Barker’s “SOUP” series, the artist compactly arranges and photographs more than
500 pieces of plastic debris found in the digestive tract of an albatross chick in the North Pacific Gyre.
See more at www.mandy-barker.com