Arts

World Oceans Day 2021 Art Gallery

Art Show Gallery Opening Event Recording:

Theme: Life & Livelihood

The ocean, which makes up 97% of Earth’s water and covers more than 70% of its surface, is full of life, biodiversity and resources we rely on including most of the oxygen we breathe. We interact with the ocean daily for food, recreation, work and so much more. One way or another we are all connected to the ocean. As such, this year’s United Nations World Oceans Day is focused on the theme “The Ocean: Life & Livelihoods” to celebrate that interconnection. To honor that theme, this art gallery spearheaded by high school student Sophie Goldstein called on artists around the world to share in their preferred artistic medium about their connected to the ocean.

Thank you to all who submitted to the 2021 World Oceans Day Art Gallery! Explore the submissions and artist statements below.

Check out last year’s World Oceans Day 2020 Youth Art Gallery.

“Sea Watcher 2 – Maskuary”
by Semine Hazar

“River Diamonds” by Andrea Difiore

Artist Statements:

“Autolatry” by Nicole Bunyatov: The word autolatry means “self-worship,” and I think that animals embody what can be when you’re true to yourself. Each of my acrylic-painted fish is vastly different, but that’s the beauty in them. Every animal is uniquely adapted to fulfill a niche in its environment. If one tried to be like the others, it wouldn’t be best suited to its individual needs. Especially with marine life, there is an enormous diversity of lifeforms, all very different, but all beautiful because of their idiosyncrasies.

“Wonder of the Sea” by Daemonium Mortis: The sea is filled with many mysteries, of which we are still trying to figure out. In this piece I am representing one of the many creature that lives in the deep sea.

“The Real Danger is Human” by João Da Costa: In the illustration the danger is human, I leave the question in the air if the pollution changed the color to the animals as we know them? Did we start to pay more attention to everything? The green orca brings in its expression a double meaning, the expressive eye upset, but inside a simple and calm smile, has on its back a guardian of the seas and oceans, they meet with a Kraken of three eyes so that together start with the beginning of the end of pollution in the oceans. The minimalist background with three shades, makes the observer focus on the fictional characters and their details, but at the same time, completes my idea that the seas should remain clean.

“Nightfall” by Roye Yang: Ocean actually mean a lot to me because my hometown (China) was located near the East China Sea and back in the old day I’ll often travel to the river side with my grandparent, so ocean bring lots of childhood memories to me. Adding on, I drew a whale because in my perspective whale is a free and an enormous creature but at the same time it is a really dreamy creature and whales are like an creature that hold all the beautiful memories of my life. So, whale have been my identity but after I study more about them I notice that whale play an really important role in its ecosystem and without them the whole marine life would’ve have been put in danger. Overall, what I wanted show though my artwork is that not only should we protect the whales but we should take action even little action to clean the ocean and allow all those marine life that isn’t free to be free since they provided us so much and this no only own home but theirs as well.

“Allure” by Sophie Goldstein: A painting of a vibrant octopus, inviting you into his lair.

“Portal” by Sophie Goldstein: This piece is inspired by an ocean cave. I wanted to create a dreamy underwater cave that allures the viewer. I made this piece abstract to capture the feeling of wonder and excitement that I get from the ocean.

“Sunrise on Fire Island“ by Sienna Fahey: This painting was done from a photo I took of shells on the beach at sunrise. I have been going to this beach on Fire Island every summer ever since I can remember, and it was here that my love of the ocean was born. This painting shows the raw, untouched beauty of the beach when no one is around.

“Lifeguard Off Duty” by Sofie Hayon: My work is set in a beach, looking up at 3 kids playing on a life guard chair. It is a 16×20 oil painting using primarily pastel colors. The child in the middle is supposed to represent me in my early youth jumping off the life guard chair. This scene represents the nostalgia when think of the beach and ocean.

“Ocean Now” by Annie Zou: This is more of a collage showing how polluted the ocean is now having cute jellyfishes floating around.

“Seedlings of the Future” by Annie Zou: In our ocean, something that attracts me the most is the plants in the ocean. We have only discovered five percent of the ocean meaning there are still many mysteries underwater. The purple I used represents the mysteries and unknown we have towards the ocean.

“Awareness, Ecology Inclusion and Magic.” by Jeff Weiner: I believe bringing magic, fantasy and mermaids into the issues of biodiversity, ecology and protecting indigenous people, adds a new dimension to the issues, increases engagement, compassion and reach.

“Kelp Forest” by Nicole Bunyatov: I’ve always been so mesmerized by kelp forests. They’re these beautiful centers of marine life that feel like you’re in a completely different dimension. However, as with so much of the ocean, humanity has been leading to its deterioration. Rising sea temperatures, decreased oxygen levels, nutrient limitation, and overgrazing have all been leading to the downfall of kelp forests, making them less of forests and more of sporadic, barren pillars. We benefit from kelp forests every day, and yet we’re killing them with our relentless need for more.

“Trapped” by Elsa Marie Keefe: This work represents our inherent animal nature. Just like the creatures of the sea, humans can be caught too. We must respect our planet by honoring mother earth.

“As Above, So Below” by Gaja Uszynski: A sea creature who has been impacted by coral bleaching/climate change. Save our oceans!

“Full Moon on the Sea, Vastness and Possibility” by Katrina Khan-Roberts: Katrina is confident that her art can connect the viewer to the plight of nature and the need to conserve it before it is too late. Trinidad and Tobago is a unique SIDS with regard to its nature. These beautiful waters have endless potential, yet humans seek to exploit, leading everything to disappear like shadows in the night, remaining as shining memories if not protected in time. Katrina is committed to use her academic background and a combination of technical and creative skills towards a culture change which will challenge climate change vulnerability and the declining health of our natural environment. Here we see man regarding the ocean, and it is up to him to make his livelihood sustainable or not.

“Memento Mori” by Lucilla Bellini: Valeria Scoppa, fashion designer and artist, and I, went to the coast of Tenerife where tar is deposited on the rocks and through a symbolic act we painted a polyester T-shirt, the symbol of fast-fashion that is destroying the planet. The title is “Memento Mori” because the tar symbolizes the terrible action of man against nature and oceans that absolutely must stop as soon as possible.

“Food For The Fish” by João Da Costa: Everything used on the creation of this project came from a beach near you. The sinalization board was caught floating on the water. The plastic bottle, the police tape, all caught on the sand, the fill in of the fish are garbage from the fishermen. The awareness in this project is about the pollution in the oceans and the excessive fishing! Everything used on the creation of this project came from a beach near you. The sinalization board was caught floating on the water. The plastic bottle, the police tape, all caught on the sand, the fill in of the fish are garbage from the fishermen. The awareness in this project is about the pollution in the oceans and the excessive fishing!

“Save the Ocean” by Oksana Borodina: Truly I am the ocean and the ocean is me! Dying coral reefs, whales are on extinct & endangered species list, rising ocean temperatures, changing climate… What it all means for us? If we are the one with the nature? Does it mean we are going to be extinct too? We have the power & technology to make real changes & stop climate crisis. We just have to make real changes quicker!

“Jellyfish Crumbles” by Camila Cognac: This piece represents how sea creatures are being corrupted by man-made waste.

“Tsunami 2” by Selva Ozelli: Selva’s first digital solo art show “Art in the Time of Corona” will take place at the Pinelo Art Gallery in Istanbul, Turkey from June 5 to June 19, 2020, starting on World Environment Day. The inspiration behind the theme of her art show was Selva Ozelli’s fourteen corona virus themed paintings –including her painting titled “Tsunami” being selected for United Nation’s COVID19 Open Brief. “Tsunami” was also shortlisted in international Art in the Time of Corona competition held by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. “Tsunami” is part of Atelier Teymur Rzayev First Digital Climate Change Art Show which is a registered UN World Environment Day and World Ocean Day digital event that has been published by World’s first climate change museum The Jockey Club Museum for Climate Change-Hong Kong: https://www.facebook.com/pinelogaller….

“Mother’s Protective Hug” by Amara Sol Mancia: We depend on the ocean for our lively hoods, and without the ocean there would be no way for us as a human race to go on. This painting is a self portrait of myself, both to show in the literal sense, water is what makes the human body and we are coexistent with the inhabitants of the ocean, and symbolically, that the ocean acts as a mother to protect its inhabitants from the harmful nature of humans.

“She’s Free” by Camila Cognac: The thread intertwines through herself and where she becomes the ocean and this her physical and spiritual self become free.

“The Heart Beat of the World” by Katherine Gerasin: This is inspired by my own observations of marine life i have had many dreams were i was visualizing the perfect most quiet place and it was the deepest most dark part of the bottom of the ocean where all the sea life is. We forget how important and global this ocean is expanding many kilometers and holding billions of sea and marine life.

“Bring Back the Blue” by Camille Kay: I feel like no matter how close we are to water, we are still quite far away from our beautiful and majestic oceans, rivers, and lakes. We have created a polluted, contaminated, and plastic world where we don’t work with nature but instead work against it. Our ocean is full of problems; it feels like there is no more space for marine life or even water itself. We have disconnected ourselves from the sea, almost destroying any potential for it to bounce back. But I still have hope and faith that we can bring back our blue; we have the opportunity to give our sea a chance if we start working with and loving water. It is in our human nature to love the ocean, and I can not wait until water is welcomed home again.

“World is Family” by Rajesh Chandra: It is a saying in India Vasudhev Kutumbukam meaning world is family . the same i painted in my artwork all living being are related to each other and dependent on each other for their life. one major Need of all being is water and so all of them are gathered to show their gratitude to mother nature for blessing all of us with the most important element i.e. WATER.

“Sip of Water” by Jessica Quintero: The ocean is build with beautiful ocean animal but has been destroyed by human kind. A fish who is being forced to live in a polluted ocean.

“Trashed Planet” by Andre Kulikov: This 3-demential mask represents the unfortunate possible outcome of our planet’s oceans due to the harm of plastic pollution. A toxic, deep purple color is used to replicate the grim, but likely reality of our oceans if we don’t take action now. I want this art piece to act as a serious reminder of what may happen to our beautiful planet, as well as to inspire others to care more for our suffering environment.

“100 Sea Creatures – Remember What We Are Losing” by Christopher Guthrie: This piece started out as an art project for my school. For 100 days, I drew 100 sea creatures, and in doing this I learned so much about the diversity and beauty that lives within our oceans. I also learned of a more grim fact; that we are losing this diversity by the day. Within 20 years, at least 10 percent of the creatures that I drew will disappear from the wild. In my 100 days of doing this project, the main thing I took away from it was this; we are more connected than we think. By learning this, I understand that we exist in a symbiotic, reciprocating relationship with nature. Losing the diversity of the ocean means that humanity loses its roots, and by consequence, itself.

“Whale in a Pink Ocean” by Aliya Behnam: My name is Aliya. I’m 9 years old. I love wales. I was inspired to paint one that looked free and floating in a pink ocean. It was a gift to my grandfather, who dedicated his life to save the oceans.

“The Magic Octopus” by Samantha Spiritosi: It is a drawing of an octopus, purple blue and black.?

“Life on the Beach” by Suryakanta Acharya: The biodiversity thriving at the edge of ocean, that is at the beach is captured. Early morning, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India.

“The Sea” by Samantha Spiritosi: It is a wave of the sea made with wax crayons and water-soluble pencils.

“Think Differently” by Nizar Sbaih: The “Think Differently” project aims to highlight a new type of pollution: The COVID-19 waste. Hospitals, healthcare facilities and individuals are producing more and more waste from single-use face masks than ever before. According to environmental NGOs, waste from face masks and gloves are increasingly ending up on in the oceans, and have become more and more invisible to us. I came up with this project from witnessing many single use face masks strewn across the streets and parks of Paris. The environment is at risk because of our actions. The challenges we face today, like climate change, really impact humans and other plant and animal species that coexist alongside us. As an artist and a human, I believe that positive impact starts with raising awareness and inspiring change… and art is one of the best tools to do that. The main idea is to give a new life to my single use face masks by creating beautiful shapes and colors through art.

“King of the Ocean” by Eliza Hadjipavlou: I love sharks, they are our friends. They are very important for the ecosystem and with out them we cannot survive They have been here long before we did.They deserve our admiration and protection. Please protect my friends.

“A Day at the Beach” by Momoko Yamamoto: This artwork shows a person who is lounging by the ocean and some seashells in the sand and in the sea. I love to go to the beach and also look at sea shells as well. That is how I connect with the ocean.

“River Diamonds” by Andrea DiFiore: It is imperative that we keep our waters clean, not only for drinking but for all creatures that inhabit them. Our waters should sparkle forever, like a diamond. I videotaped the sun illuminating the waves, casting sparks of light. I hope the video conveys peace, harmony, and respect for the beauty of our waters.