European group explores medium of green art

Art Updates

Skeleton Sea shows at Oceanario de Lisboa from 17th of September 2012 until November 2012

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 20 September, 2012 : - - Skeleton Sea, the creative collective, that has made keeping the oceans clean its mission, opened its new exhibition at the Oceanario de Lisboa in Portugal, one of the world's leading Ocean Aquariums, with a great amount of visitors and Portuguese media respond. The art work is showing from the 17th of September until the 26th of November 2012 daily open from 10:00h to 20:00h.
 
Welcoming thousands of visitors at the Oceanario de Lisboa the KEEP THE OCEANS CLEAN exhibition by Skeleton Sea will bring plenty of like-minded individuals into contact with the work of Skeleton Sea. The exhibition itself will see the collective's significant art collection on show to the general public, including the following highlighted art works:

ALBATROSS EXHIBITIONIST:
Inspired by the tragic story and images of Albatross chicks on Medway Island dying slow and agonizing deaths due to ingested plastics consumed in error by the seabirds, the Skeleton Sea artists, including collaborators Xandi Kreuzeder and Joao Parrinha, created a new installation and accompanying short film titled the 'Albatross Exhibitionist'.

Constructed using a selection of plastics recovered during a beach cleaning exercise in Msambweni, Kenya, the Albatross Exhibitionist measures 155x195x60 cm and represents a stark reminder to us all about the importance of cleaning up our collective act. Xandi Kreuzeder picks up the story, saying: "The Albatross Exhibitionist installation and film will hopefully provide viewers with a rare moment of self-reflection - it's a little snapshot of just one of the many negative impacts we have on the planet. The installation and film are intended to inspire people to think about what they can do to minimize that impact. Ultimately, we always strive to create work that inspires changes in behavior, and this piece is no different in that sense."
 
ROXY MERMAID:
Created by Skeleton Sea co-founder Xandi Kreuzeder during the Roxy Pro surf contest in Biarritz in July 2011, Roxy Mermaid was constructed using flotsam and jetsam recovered from both the local area and further a field, including the beaches of Kenya and Indonesia. The arresting sculpture wasted little time in attracting widespread attention during the course of the event, highlighting the ever-worsening dangers of ocean pollution all over the world.
 
INNOCENT VICTIM:
Innocent Victim is a hard-hitting creative statement underling the harmful influence exerted by Man on the world‘s marine habitat. With all forms of sea life fighting an on-going and deadly battle against the devastating effects of commercial and military exploitation - and against the ever-growing threat of chemical and noise pollution in our oceans - the outlook is sadly bleaker than ever unless we take drastic action NOW.
 
FREE FLIP FLOP FISH:
The Flip-Flop Fish was created inside 24 hours on the beaches of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. Reflecting on their efforts to collect discarded objects along the coastline, Luis de Dios said: “Among all the rubbish we found together with our small army of volunteer collectors, it was amazing to see how many discarded flip-flops we came across. Looking at them piled high, it dawned on us that they might resemble the scales of a futuristic tropical fish. And so our Free Flip Flop Fish concept was born.”
With the evening sun already setting over the horizon, Xandi and Luis began construction using nothing more than a generator, welding gear, a circular saw, metal fencing and hundreds of flip-flops. They worked non-stop through the night and the following day, capturing the imagination and interest of passing beachgoers. A warm late afternoon scene welcomed the completed installation, before the two artists walked their creation into the waves lapping the shoreline and set it free.

Reflecting on the message behind their Skeleton Sea Project’s latest installation, Xandi said: “It’s more important than ever for people to do their bit to protect the environment, even if it means picking up just a few bits of rubbish at their local beach. Who knows, if we continue at this rate there might be more flip-flops than fish in the ocean one day. Our creation represents those small gestures that can make a big difference to the environment.”

New art work will be unveiled at the Oceanario in Lisboa such as THE MEDUSA – João Parrinha’s vision of a Jellyfish! Jellyfish populations may be expanding globally as a result of overfishing and the availability of excessive nutrients due to land runoff. When a marine ecosystem becomes disturbed jellyfish can proliferate.
 
SHORT ARTISTS BIOGRAPHIES

JOAO PARRINHA
João Parrinha was born in 1961 in Lisbon, Portugal. After discovering surfing at the age of 16, João began expressing his creative talent through surfboard artworks. Since then, João has become an accomplished artist, designer, art director and jazz musician. His art has been exhibited in a number of leading European cities, including Lisbon and Munich. The past years Joao has worked closely with Xandi forming Skeleton Sea’s “Keep the Oceans Clean!” artworks.
 
LUIS DE DIOS MELLADA
Luis de Dios was born in 1969 in Alicante, Spain. Luis' progressive vision and willingness to experiment with new techniques characterize his artistic output, in which the juxtaposing of materials, shapes and colours remains a dominant feature. Never one to follow traditional artistic processes, Luis is widely known for his unique manner of communication through art.

XANDI KREUZEDER
Xandi Kreuzeder was born in 1962 in Munich, Germany. After a decade-long career among the windsurfing elite, Xandi switched to the other side of the lens and worked as a freelance extreme sports, sports fashion and outdoor photographer. A naturally gifted craftsman, Xandi has a passion for sculpture using recycled materials, and has been involved in several artistic projects over the last 15 years is now the key initiator of Skeleton Sea green art projects.

www.skeletonsea.com

Source: Textkommissariat

Author: Andi Spies

Tags: Portugal, Lisboa, Green Art, Skeleton Sea

Art: Surfersvillage