Geoje City Holds Exhibition of Artworks Made from Marine Debris

9:46 by artist Kim Jeong-a.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] To mark the 26th Sea Day, Geoje City in Gyeongnam has prepared an art exhibition reflecting on the seriousness of marine debris.

The city announced on the 24th that it will hold an art exhibition featuring marine debris in the lobby on the first floor of Geoje City Hall until the 28th.

The exhibition features about 10 works by artist Kim Jeong-ah under the theme "The Sea, Me Within It, The Sea Within Me," created using actual fishing gear used in sea operations and marine debris she personally collected.

The representative works of the exhibition are "9:46" and "Dinner 2011." "9:46" is an environmental crisis clock that shows the degree of Earth's environmental deterioration in terms of time.

"Dinner 2011" vividly expresses the heartbreaking reality of marine debris by depicting a mackerel on the dining table whose stomach is filled with trash we ourselves have discarded.

Artist Kim, originally from Seoul, settled in Geoje over 20 years ago following her husband's job. She began to take an interest in marine life affected by the sea and debris and has been creating works themed on marine debris for the past 10 years.

She said, "Seeing faded and worn debris picked up from the beach made me think of the future of myself and my children, and all of us, which kept weighing on my mind," adding, "If those who see my work gradually change their thinking and that leads to small actions, I would be extremely happy."

Mayor Byeon Gwang-yong said, "Since our city’s beautiful sea is our most precious resource and pride, I hope this exhibition will serve as an opportunity to once again reflect on the importance of a clean marine environment and improve awareness of marine debris."

Meanwhile, the 31st marks the 26th Sea Day. Sea Day is a national commemorative day designated in 1996 to widely promote the importance of the sea to the public and to enhance the pride of marine and fisheries workers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.