Reflection

Reflection

For many people in the coastal region of Peru, being able to see a humpback whale is not a rare occurrence, and has creative a lucrative eco-tourism industry. Ironically, Peruvian beaches are some of the most polluted in the world. I’ve been involved in two annual beach cleanup projects and I’ve been stunned by the countless bottles and plastic bags that are spread across the shoreline of Lima alone. This inspired my piece. My art is my version of the iceberg metaphor: people can only see the portion above the surface but are oblivious of the portion undersea. I feel this is the case in Peru (as in many other countries). People can appreciate the whales, yet fail to realize that by continuing littering the sea with their plastic waste, they are responsible for the harm of marine wildlife through ingestion or entanglement.