As you sow, so you shall reap

Istanbul Modern underlines the importance of the environment through the eyes of children with a new project, Friends of Recycling. The project is inspired by Istanbul Modern’s previous exhibitions that offered a glimpse into the relationship between man and nature, as well as the 16th Istanbul Bienale “The Seventh Continent” by Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV). The Seventh Continent is an area of 3.4 million square meters in the Pacific Ocean, consisting of 7 million tonnes of plastic waste, as a result of Anthropocene, the new geological era in which the impact of human activities upon the planet is explored. The Bienale aimed to shine a light on the impact of environmental pollution and excessive plastic consumption across the world. By bringing the importance of the environment into art, the project became an inspiration for many others to draw attention to these issues. As such, the Friends of Recycling initiative by Istanbul Modern aims to raise environmental consciousness among children by creating artworks with waste materials. Under the guidance of various artists, such as Koray Aris, Antonio Cosentino, Ismet Degirmenci, Nermin

Er, Murat Germen, Mustafa Horasan, Cagri Kucuksayrac, Basar Muluk, Ardan Ozmenoglu, Burcu Percin, Seckin Pirim, Ekin Saclioglu and Istanbul Modern’s Department of Education and Social Project, the children are encouraged to participate with their artworks built out of plastic and waste materials. The artists created guidelines and exemplary artworks from these materials. Published on Istanbul Modern’s website, the children are expected to build their creations inspired by these examples through various materials while quarantining at their houses. The project was first initiated as a celebration of the April 23 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day since celebrations were canceled due to the outbreak. Later, Istanbul Modern extended the deadline to include more children. The institute announced on its website that the project will continue until World Environment Day on June 5 to raise awareness for the environment not only for adults, but also for children. Educating children on the dangers of pollution and waste to create an environmental consciousness is important for the future of our world. It’s important to keep the environment sustainable for future generations so that they don’t suffer the consequences of our actions. As the saying goes: As you sow, so you shall reap.