Art viewers are invited to contemplate environmental transformation and advocate for sustainable practices during "Threads Of Change", which is running at Warin Lab Contemporary, until May 25.
This is a solo exhibition by Kelsey Merreck Wagner, a US based eco-artist, anthropologist and activist who addresses the issue of plastic consumption and ineffective waste infrastructure that has led to a climate emergency by a weaving project that solicits household plastic waste from the community.
She brings five vibrant textiles symbolising the environmental crisis fuelled by overconsumption and waste mismanagement that leads to environmental ruin at human hands.
Serving as a call for action, her innovative works are made entirely from discarded materials from plastic bags and snack packaging to old clothes and headphones that she collects from her immediate community and online.
The five tapestries in warm hues of red, orange and yellow are suspended mid-air to signify the climate crisis issue resulting from irresponsible human behaviour towards nature and waste mismanagement.
These large-scale tapestries are testament to her commitment to sustainability and environmental advocacy. From smaller-scale works created during the pandemic to larger installations, Wagner's journey from traditional weaving to innovative trash weaving underscores the power of art as a catalyst for change.
Wagner has exhibited internationally in Cambodia, Thailand, Canada and Italy. Through her art, she takes viewers on a historical journey through the urgency of the plastic pollution catastrophe, emphasising the need for systemic changes in production and consumption patterns.
Warin Lab Contemporary is located at OP Garden, Charoen Krung 36, and opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 7.30pm.
Trash weaving by Kelsey Merreck Wagner. photo courtesy of Warin Lab Contemporary
Visit warinlab.com.
