Sustainability & Art Networking Event – Plastic Free July by Art4you Gallery

DUBAI: Culture-based platform Art4you Gallery launched its ‘Plastic Free July’ art events to inspire millions of people across the globe.

Through a number of art events held throughout the month, Art4you aims to promote good cultural shifts through the arts and technology, and hopes to encourage people to use less plastic. In addition to cultural movements, 60 artists from 26 countries embraced the concept of sustainable art in various ways. While sustainability calls for a re-evaluation of how we produce, consume, and create art and products, it also offers designers and artists the chance to re-examine their methods.

Art4you Gallery shares that they are the only community registered with Plastic Free July organisation from UAE for this large campaign in 2023 sharing the #plasticfreejuly initiatives. Other than the art exhibition, they also included sustainability live art, panel discussion and a networking event.

Below are the other details:

Sustainability & Art – Reimagine, Recreate, Restore! – July 30: Art4you gallery organised gatherings for art community in UAE to engage with one another and build valuable connections with this unique networking event – Sustainability & Art titled Reimagine, Recreate, Restore – hosted at The Arabeska City Walk on July 30 with a series of activities. In the presence of Lara Tabet, H.E. Mr. Yaqoob Al Ali formally opened the event, which served as a wonderful motivation for all artists.

Jalal Abusamaa, an Indian caricaturist and illustrator, led a workshop with Sustainability Live Art for about 16 artists. Environmentally friendly art exhibitions have increased awareness of the critical need to preserve our planet. They are using art to captivate audiences and persuade them to think about the impact their behaviour has on the environment. Together, the artists Victoria Szydlak from Poland, Willie V Taladro from the Philippines, Maria Komal Abie from India, Dalal Taleb from Syria, Merly Mathews from India, and Mujeeb Kehar from Pakistan displayed sustainable art to encourage more people to be more aware of their actions.

Virtual Art Exhibition – Let’s Live with Less Plastic – July 21: Single-use plastic is polluting our oceans, feeding the creatures we consume, and eventually becoming our food. Stop using single-use plastic, demand more effective recycling methods, and put an end to plastic pollution. A total of 20 sustainable artists were involved, including Ali Alzwaylif – Iraq, Argie Amancio – Philippines, Elizabeth Davis – Oman, Eri Kato – Japan, Gulalek Esenowa – Turkmenistan, Joao Charrua – Portugal, Kanak Mitra – Oman, Margarita Ado – Lithuania, Maria Komal Abie – India, Maisa Taslaq – Jordan, Mussarat Yasmin Abid – Pakistan, Nirmeen Hashim – Egypt, Ruben Molina – Venezuela, Saida Banu – India, Slam Austin – Nigeria, Suma Dileepkumar – India, Supriya Chauhan – India, Vasilisa Eliseeva – Russia, Veena Devagiri – India, and Victoria Szydlak – Poland showcased 60 artworks on large virtual 3D gallery space.

“Placing these artworks in Virtual Art Gallery locations was a powerful approach to inform every one of the world’s plastic pollution crises while also asking everyone to contribute to the solution,” Art4you Gallery Curator Jesno Jackson stated. “Art is such an ideal means to express vital messages regarding the state of the planet and society in general. This art exhibition had some incredible established and emerging artists. Hundreds of thousands of visitors will be exposed to the gallery via a link where they may walk through and experience the 3D interactive area each day to spread the message of Plastic Free July and plastic pollution in general.” “Plastic pollution has become one of the most distressing parts of modern life,” stated Rengi Cherian, Founder – Art4you.

“Together, through the ‘Tackling Plastic Through Art’ Exhibit, let’s advance towards a plastic-free future by urging the community to motivate younger generation for their large contribution to plastic pollution and to implement progressive, pro-people, and pro-environment policies,” concluded VIP guest Mrs. Fatima Martin, Principal and CEO, Gems New Millennium School, Dubai. Peter Farrington, International Environmental Conservationist says, “Though the exhibit was meant to reveal the shocking impact of plastic on the environment, it also serves as a call to action. Individual action, while essential, no longer seems to be enough.”

The artworks at the exhibitions offered the opportunity to learn about environmental issues and how to live more sustainably with ‘no plastic’. The artists used all types of materials for their paintings – leaves, flowers, t-shirts, denims, sticks, plastic, cardboards, palm trees, recycled plastics, broken mirrors – to create sustainable artworks, portraying their emotions and feelings towards Planet Earth. Let’s Live with Less Plastic is supported by Plastic Free July Foundation and will be on show across the UK for #plasticfreejuly as well as online at www.art4yougallery.com

Plastic Free Morning Tea – July 11: Plastic Free Morning Tea was a popular way of making and sharing tea and food, fun with conversations about plastic free solutions. Art4you hosted this in a great way inviting artists together with a tea that hasn’t been wrapped in plastic.

Eco-friendly Live Art – The Green Revolution, Dubai – July 8: 15 UAE based artists from 10 nationalities painted eco-friendly live art on the theme ‘Beat Plastic through Art’, demonstrating that there is no barrier to creativity. This event was hosted in support with the sustainability partner – The Green Revolution Dubai. The participating artists were Lene Pieters – South Africa, Tetiana Yatlo, Malek Elsakka – Ukraine, Nirmeen Hashim – Egypt, Meetu Garg, Kumar Chadayamangalam, Jesno Jackson – India, Ghaya Al Hababi – UAE, Dima Albitar – Syria, Alia Amin – Pakistan, Labiba Ferhat – Algeria, Yuliya Solomennaya – Belarus and Fatima Ghandour – Lebanon.

Panel Discussion – Tackling Plastic Through Art: As part of a day devoted to awareness, conservation, and sustainability, a panel of environmental champions spoke, including Peter Farrington, Dr. Rosanna Cavaletto, Eng. Maitha Alblooshi, Lene Pieters, Rabah El Aawaar, Kiara Kaur, Alaa El-Hag, and Maria Komal Abie. They talked about alternate zero-waste alternatives, how we can contribute, and what the future holds. What does it mean to you to live a sustainable lifestyle? was one of the topics covered. Can we survive without single-use plastic? Environmental art, creative sustainability as a way of life, and the impact of art; how does art help kids and children advocate for sustainability?

Dr. Rosanna Cavalleto – Green Dentist — was able to accommodate the content to suit her preferences and was able to educate the crowd about the global plastic waste issue and dentistry. She was able to share sustainable lifestyle tips which were relatable and easy to adopt in our daily lives. Peter Farrington is one of the pioneers in the sustainability industry. His work experience as conservationist environmentalist at DM constantly updates himself with the eco-friendly news. As our guest speaker he shared more on how we can make change for the environment. His execution of his content was well narrated to raise awareness of environmental sustainability. According to young speaker Kiara Kaur, one of the best ways to combat plastic pollution is to set an example and make sure the products you purchase were manufactured with ethics and the environment in mind.

Violinist Cynthia Kabsa did a good job of playing music, which is a significant component of our culture, our individual, and collective identity, has motivated people to live more sustainably. Thank you to Monviso water for sponsoring the event. CEO Stefano Iorini created the ‘Take Water. Give Life’ project with a noble cause at its core to generate a beneficial social and environmental impact through the corporate responsibility programmes. The Venue Arabeska was a sophisticated international restaurant that hosted us to enjoy a haven evening, who offered a warm and inviting ambiance in green with sustainability. Each meal was a work of culinary art, that connected to art, served us with the freshest ingredients that ensured a flavour explosion with every bite.

“No step is insignificant when taken in the right direction, especially when it comes to making an impactful positive change to our environment and future generations. This initiative has paved the way for everyone to contribute and be mindful of their choices. Each step contributes substantially to sustainability for a greener future,” says H.E Laila Rahhal El Atfani – Brand Ambassador of Art4you Gallery.

At Art4you, total 60 artists had contributed and wanted to honour earth and the environment around the world by expressing it through their art pieces. These initiatives are one-of-a-kind which promise to give viewers a multi-sensory experience of something we take for granted as a given in everyday life – plastic waste. Jesno Jackson, the curator of the entire event, pledged ‘Let’s Beat Plastic Through Art!’