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    Recycled Materials Draw Attention to Ocean Plastics in Ana Brecevic’s Assemblages

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    All images courtesy of Ana Brecevic, shared with permission

    Recycled Materials Draw Attention to Ocean Plastics in Ana Brecevic’s Assemblages

    May 14, 2025

    ArtClimateNature

    Kate Mothes

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    As the climate crisis worsens around the globe, its effects are no more apparent than in our oceans and the communities that rely on them. Delicate coral reefs, for example, face stresses from not only rising sea temperatures but the residue of human presence—plastics, castoff fishing equipment, and other waste.

    Warm water is typically the culprit in coral bleaching events, characterized by algae leaving the organisms and turning them a ghostly white. The algae provides a food source and helps to protect the coral from disease, but when it goes, the host is left much more vulnerable. For Ana Brecevic (previously), this phenomenon inspires work that draws attention to this urgent issue.

    Her recent series, Plasticum, reflects on the ever-growing problem of plastic pollution in the earth’s oceans while contrasting the beauty of marine ecosystems with their vulnerability to human impact. The artist meticulously cuts silhouettes of bleached corals and gorgonians—also known as sea fans—and ornaments them with baubles reminiscent of debris.

    “I live along the Atlantic coast, where I collect marine waste that inspires and feeds into this body of work,” Brecevic says. “Everything is made from recycled paper, upcycled fabrics, and natural dyes.”

    The artist describes Plasticum as “a quiet echo of a reality slowly settling in,” where microplastics and waste continually threaten underwater habitats and biodiversity. She says, “Through this work, I hope to spark questions about our connection to living ecosystems and what we choose to see—or overlook.”

    Find more on Brecevic’s website and Instagram.

    Photo by Marion Saupin

    Photo by Marion Saupin

    Photo by Marion Saupin

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      in Art

      Mulyana Transforms Plastic Yarn and Netting into Arresting Ocean Textures

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      Photo by Ign Raditya Bramantya. All images courtesy of Mulyana and Sapar Contemporary, shared with permission

      Mulyana Transforms Plastic Yarn and Netting into Arresting Ocean Textures

      October 16, 2024

      ArtClimatePhotography

      Kate Mothes

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      From thousands of plastic bags, nets, and hanks of yarn, Indonesian artist Mulyana (previously) illuminates the fragility of marine ecosystems.

      In his solo exhibition Remembering Our Collective Future at Sapar Contemporary, the artist has incorporated recyclable materials and distilled the palette to white, evoking a symbol of purity and drawing attention to the consequences of human impact on our oceans, such as coral bleaching.

      “Betty 21” (2024), plastic yarn, plastic net, and cable wire, 82 5/8 x 76 3/4 x 13 3/4 inches

      Curated by John Silvis, the show invites viewers to reflect on the effects of the climate crisis and the critical importance of environmental preservation. Photographs by Ign Raditya Bramantya highlight a living, breathing embodiment of coral as it traverses the city streets, bringing the ocean to daily life.

      Mulyana painstakingly twists, knots, and wraps plastic netting, cable wire, and plastic yarn into sculptures and wall hangings resembling coral and cartoonish sea creatures.

      Running concurrently at the Charles B. Wang Center at SUNY Stony Brook, an exhibition of the artist’s vibrant yarn works showcases costumes and characters inspired by marine life. Yarnscapes: Mulyana’s Environmental Tapestries presents a playful counterpoint to the monochrome pieces, nevertheless urging us to remember and evaluate our relationship to our oceans.

      Remembering Our Collective Future runs from October 22 to November 20 in New York City, coinciding with Yarnscapes in Stony Brook through December 10. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      Photo by Ign Raditya Bramantya

      Photo by Ign Raditya Bramantya

      Detail of “Betty 25” (2024), plastic yarn, plastic net, and cable wire, 74 3/4 x 78 3/4 x 13 3/4 inches

      “Betty 28” (2024), plastic yarn, plastic net, and cable wire, 86 5/8 x 86 5/8 x 13 3/4 inches

      Photo by Ign Raditya Bramantya

      Detail of “Betty 26” (2024), plastic yarn, plastic net, and cable wire, 65 x 51 1/8 x 13 3/4 inches

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    • 113 Shares99 Views

      in Art

      Josh Gluckstein Crafts a Teeming Reef from Recycled Cardboard

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      “Reef.” Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation. All images courtesy of Josh Gluckstein, shared with permission

      Josh Gluckstein Crafts a Teeming Reef from Recycled Cardboard

      September 24, 2024

      Art Nature

      Kate Mothes

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      For the past four years, London-based artist Josh Gluckstein has highlighted the potential of an everyday material—recycled cardboard—to bring animal sculptures to life (previously). In his most recent piece, “Reef,” he expands on individual portraits to create a meticulously detailed two-and-a-half-meter-tall marine habitat teeming with a variety of fish and coral.

      “I fell in love with scuba diving ten years ago and was amazed that there was an entirely new world to discover underwater,” Gluckstein says. “I wanted to bring that experience to life on dry land.”

      Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation

      Gluckstein was invited to participate in Homo Faber 2024 in Venice, which this year traces the theme, “The Journey of Life.” Among the work of more than 400 artisans from around the world, “Reef” is Gluckstein’s most ambitious piece to date, featuring more than 50 different marine species.

      Sea turtles, an octopus, clown fish, and a blue spotted ray are among the creatures that swim around a column of coral. “The piece celebrates the wonder and rich biodiversity of our oceans, while raising awareness for the fragility of—and challenges facing—our marine life,” Gluckstein says.

      Homo Faber 2024 continues through September 30. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      You might also enjoy Ghost Net Collective’s marine animal sculptures made from the salvaged ocean waste that endangers them.

      Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation

      Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation

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