Surfrider Foundation Europe and the artist Nicolas Henry have launched their exhibition, as part of the Biennale Photoclimat. Discover innovative artworks on the magnificence of the Ocean...but also on the pollution it experiences today. If you are an art enthusiast, an Ocean lover, an environmental activist, or simply curious, you still have until Sunday October 17, 2021, to visit the exhibition, which takes place at Place de la Bastille in Paris.

An innovative artistic project to raise awareness on environmental issues 

The 18th of September 2021, marks the opening of the Biennale Photoclimat, a set of 10 innovative and eco-built exhibitions at the heart of Paris, with the goal of creating synergies between artists and ecological actors. Photoclimat follows the opening of the Climate Academy, a space at Hotel de Ville, in Paris, which aims to annually train between 2,000 and 4,000 young people, wishing to develop their own climate-related projects. 

In this context, Surfrider Foundation Europe and the artist photographer Nicolas Henry have created a special outdoor art exhibition, aiming to highlight the beauty of our Ocean, as well at the risks it faces today. Convinced that art is a crucial element to raise awareness of the public on environmental issues, Surfrider Foundation Europe launched in 2012 the Art Campus, a virtual and physical space of collaboration between artists, art schools and civil society organizations. Latest project of the Art Campus, the Surfrider Foundation Europe's art exhibition reveals an inspiring view on the Ocean and its fragility. So don't wait any longer... Hold your breath, and dive into the work of two renowned artists, Mandy Barker and Alessandro Puccinelli.    

Mandy Barker: transforming marine pollution into an aesthetic project 

Sublimating plastic pollution in the Ocean might seem contradictory. However, this is the project of the brilliant Mandy Barker, hrough her photographic series entitled Soup, in which the artist has captured plastic waste from various beaches all around the world. In this artwork, plastic embraces new shapes and colors, which appeal by their aerial esthetic aspect, thus contrasting with the gravity of the subject. Indeed, the photographies also indirectly express the ecological tragedy of plastic pollution in the Ocean. "Art by itself cannot change the world. Nevertheless, by drawing attention to marine plastic pollution, I hope that my work will help to inform and raise awareness about this issue eventually encouraging a wider audience to take action", explains Mandy Barker.   

Alessandro Puccinelli: when the soul finds the wave  

Pictures with striking contrasts highlighting the pure beauty of a furious Ocean, that is what Alessandro Puccinelli's artwork is about. According to this Italian artist, passionate about surfing, the sea is not only a refuge, but also a guiding force in his life : "The presence of the sea in my daily life represents an extremely important thing, on which I discharge my fears, my dreams, my hopes, receiving in return an inner strength and a mental clarity". Within the exhibition, Alessandro Puccinelli's photographs embodies this parallel between human emotions and natural elements, in accordance with romantic artists of the nineteenth century, such as J.W. Turner and C.D. Friedrich. 

Practical information about the exhibition 

The exhibition is eco-built and designed to resist to weather conditions.

Location : Place de la Bastille, Paris (Free entrance)

Dates : From Saturday September 18 to Sunday October 17, 2021 

Click here to access the website of the exhibition