BARBARA BENISH

This series of paintings began in 2011 after I attended a conference on plastic pollution in Honolulu, with a campaign I was working on at U.N.E.P. to raise awareness on hazardous chemicals and waste in the environment. Partnering with some very dedicated ocean advocates and researchers, their data gave me the foundation to make these invisible pollutants visible. Most of what we eat, drink, or use in any way comes packaged in petroleum plastic- a material designed to last forever, yet used for products that we then throw away.  This plastic pollution is a hazard for marine wildlife, and ultimately for us.

Large systems of currents, coupled with wind and the earth’s rotation, create “gyres”, massive, slow rotating whirlpools in which plastic trash can accumulate. Because petroleum plastics are designed to last, plastic trash in the gyre will remain for decades or longer, being pushed gently in a slow, clockwise spiral towards the center. (from the 5Gyres website)

New paintings (2025-6) were added to the series for a major exhibition in Prague on activist art and the environment. Read the catalogue HERE.