Gyre: The Plastic Ocean

A flip-flop discarded in Thailand finds its way to Hawaii, and a bottle cast off from a tsunami in Japan becomes Alaska’s beach litter. In a culture dependent upon the modern convenience of plastic, throwaway products of consumption are affecting oceans and shrinking our world as we all become connected through our trash.A unique art and science exhibition, Gyre: The Plastic Ocean, brings the problem into perspective. On view September 2-November 21, 2015, the exhibition explores the complex relationship between humans and the ocean in a contemporary culture of consumption. Read the press release.For decades artists have created works that address the relationship between community and environment. In the later part of the 20th century, artists gave a voice to the environment. Artists such as Robert Smithson, Michael Heizer, Christo and Jeanne-Claude and others became interested in the social value of art.Today, plastic packaging finds its way into the hands of artists via our ocean biosphere. Some, such as Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang, take an almost archaeological approach to collecting and curating bits of plastic trash while fashioning it into works of art. Others, such as Anne Percoco, collect materials to create community-based work that is often tactile and playful. More than 25 artists from around the world explore these ideas from multiple perspectives in Gyre.The result is a remarkable visual narrative and a provocative look at the impact we each have on our world.

EXHIBITION ARTISTS
Mandy Barker, England
Edward Burtynsky, Canada
Dianna Cohen, Los Angeles
Fran Crowe, England
Joan Wadleigh Curran, Philadelphia
John Dahlsen, Australia
Mark Dion, New York
Andrew Hughes, England
Chris Jordan, Seattle
Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Anchorage
Karen Larsen, Anchorage
Elizabeth Leader, Buffalo, N.Y.
Max Liboiron, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Pam Longobardi, Atlanta
Rebecca Lyon, Alaska
Steve McPherson, United Kingdom
Susan Middleton, San Francisco
Cynthia Minet, Los Angeles
Tuula Narhinen, Finland
Anne Percoco, Jersey City, N.J.
Tim Remick, Anchorage
Alexis Rockman, New York
Sue Ryan, Australia
Evelyn Rydz, Boston
Judith Selby/Richard Lang, California

This exhibition is organized by the Anchorage Museum.