Exhibition Details
Exhibition WHALE – HOPE 希望 was running from Thursday 22nd August to Saturday 14th of September at Poly Gone Cowboy in Norman Park.
For the exhibit I created a series of whale illustration art which represents the importance of protecting whales and all marine animals in our ecosystem. Through this artwork, I aim to inform and encourage people of what we can all do to help save our whales and all sea creatures.
I acknowledge the negative history of my birth country (Japan) has with whaling. Traditionally, this was due to the landscape in Japan, with people whaling to make a living (source of protein). In 2018, I was quite upset when I heard that Japan decided to recommence commercial whaling, and I can’t comprehend why we continue to do this. Knowing that whaling is a taboo topic, and while even Japanese are aware about it, more often no one discusses it or takes action against it.
Through my exhibition I subtly portrayed messages of how precious whales are and will continue to support this cause beyond. I personally have always been inspired by beautiful marine nature, and originally came to Australia with an interest in studying marine biology. Although I followed other passions, I truly believe in the importance of this, and hope to influence and encourage people to help protect marine life.
Furthermore, the world continues to contribute to the destruction and damage of our marine wild life. I wouldn’t proudly say that I’m the most environmentally friendly person, and was amazed how much plastic products surrounds me.
Initially when I decided to act, I was aiming for zero waste. While having to reset these goals, I’ve continued to acknowledge areas for improvement and alter various daily habits. When first starting, I couldn’t just throw away all my plastic products, as this also felt wasteful. So firstly, I started to educate myself to avoid consuming plastic products. I find with each month that passes I consume less and less plastic each month, and while I personally still have a long way to go until zero waste, I aim to be more eco-friendly with every day that passes.
I believe we can all change, no matter how small, and hope that with the right messages, we can make a difference and promote change. And through the exhibit and beyond I hope to inspire and influence as many people as possible. With everybody’s support, I also donated 10% of my profits from the exhibit to ORRCA (Organisation for Research and Rescue of Cetaceans in Australia).
