Russian artist Rustam Qbic was until recently in Napier, New Zealand invited to paint a wall for Seawalls, a project curated by Pangeaseed Foundation.
“Recycling Kingdom”, as the mural was titled, depicts a group of children on top of a whale. The little girl in the foreground cleans an oil spill in the ocean whilst the two other boys attempt to build something on top of the same mammal. The oil recovered from the ocean by the girl is recycled and used by one of the boys to draw windows on the new structure.
Slightly different from what we have seen before, the new mural chooses to focus on the images of the kids and the whale, leaving the background just as the vast ocean it is supposed to represent. The idea behind the mural is to rise awareness on how our actions today can can affect future generations, and make us rethink the choices we make and what we are leaving behind.
“The subject of garbage and oil in the ocean is touched upon in this piece of work. We are living our own lives and making small mistakes without thinking that in future our children or other generations will face major environmental problems due to our errors and our negligence. This is concealed egoism which we are used not to notice. The people of different nationalities will have to unite with animal world and help it as all human beings and animals on the planet are connected with one another and depend on one another. A serious approach is required to waste recycling and extraction of feedstock from it and construction of new cities which from the beginning of existence will not contaminate the world around.” – Rustam Qbic
SeaWalls
Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans is PangeaSeed’s groundbreaking public art project that brings the oceans into the streets around the world.
The project involves some of today’s most renowned contemporary artists to create large-scale public murals that address pressing environmental issues the oceans are facing by forging a synthesis between public art, nature, and society. Sea Walls aims to engage with the local community to foster a sense of pride and ownership for the murals, and above all, for the health of their local marine ecosystems.
PangeaSeed Foundation
PangeaSeed Foundation’s mission is to harness the power of art, science, and creativity to generate awareness and stimulate dialogue to inspire and effect positive change surrounding global ocean environmental issues. PangeaSeed Foundation aims to unify and connect individuals around the world, opening a dialog to share ideas and develop a better understanding of our connection with the oceans. PangeaSeed Foundation believes that art, design and new media can transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries, inspiring positive global change. PangeaSeed collaborates with today’s most influential creative minds to help give the oceans the voice they so desperately need.
Images by Vinny Corelli and Tre Packard via SAN
More about Rustam Qbic on website | instagram | facebook
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
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