Incoming Tide: An exhibition of new works by the Ghost Net Collective

There is an intriguing contradiction between form and content in Incoming Tide. We are presented with beautiful sea creatures, yet they are made from repurposed Ghost Nets, one of the most damaging marine pollutants and predators. They are, in a sense, constructed with the substance most opposite to them, the very material that is killing them. These works do not only function as graceful sculptures, then, but as stark warnings about the future of marine biology. 

It is hard to think of a more fitting symbol for the environmental crisis than a Ghost Net. Much like global warming and pollution, they exist as a colossal, relatively slow-moving menace in the abyss. Because they are beneath the surface they also exist, much like the issue, almost as an abstraction. Until, of course, they are not just an abstraction, but a catastrophe, strangling reefs and washing up on beaches. Incoming Tide counters the abstractness of this issue, placing it in a human context - an art gallery. The audience find themselves unintimidated by these sublime creatures which, far from instilling fear as they might in their natural environment, incline us to touch and walk around them.

That is perhaps the greatest achievement of this exhibition. The way the works are presented puts the audience in the world, proportionately and positionally, of these sea creatures, countering any apathy to the issue. The exhibit forces us to engage with the problem of marine pollution, to see things from the sea creatures perspective. In this context, we can appreciate every detail of the creatures whose well-being we have too long ignored.

For the full catalogue of works and any enquiries, please contact info@jgmgallery.com