[Many thanks to AICA Caraïbe du Sud and Veerle Poupeye (Critical.Caribbean.Art) for bringing this item to our attention.]
The “Homo Sargassum” exhibition is organized by Tout-Monde Art Foundation and endorsed by the Permanent Missions of France and Barbados to the United Nations. Curated by Vanessa Selk and assistant Youna Esposito (see full curatorial team below), this itinerant show is organized in connection with World Oceans Day (8 June) and the 2025 United Nations Oceans Conference. The exhibition opened at the United Nations in New York (46th Street and 1st Avenue) on May 16, and will remain on view until July 11, 2025. Artist Deborah Jack (The Netherlands/St Martin) will offer a guided tour on May 29, from 4:00 to 5:00pm.
The UN site describes, “This art and science exhibition aims to raise public awareness about oceanic pollution through the lens of the sargassum seaweed, which has been proliferating in the Atlantic and on Caribbean coasts since 2011, due to human activity and pollution. It invites artists, scientists, and researchers to share their perspectives on the causes and potential solutions to this scourge.”
Artists featured are Minia Biabiany, Camille Chedda, Ronald Cyrille (artwork featured above), Nicolas Derné, Alejandro Durán, Édouard Duval-Carrié, Felder + Felder, Billy Gérard Frank, Guy Gabon, Gwladys Gambie, Sheldon Green, Annabel Guérédrat, Jordan Harrison, Nadia Huggins, Dominique Hunter, Deborah Jack, Mirtho Linguet, Louisa Marajo, Medhi Michalon, Joiri Minaya, Ricardo Ozier-Lafontaine, María Rueda, Oneika Russell, Henri Tauliaut, Philippe Thomarel, Caecilia Tripp & Herne Jean-Baptiste, and Russell Watson.
Led by Vanessa Selk (TMAF artistic director & curator), the curatorial team includes Louisa Marajo (lead artist and co-author), Youna Esposito (TMAF curatorial assistant), Michael Carrasco (MoFA co-curator), Martin Munro (WKI director and editor), Matilde dos Santos (independent curator), Annalee Davis (Fresh Milk founder), and Katherine Kennedy (Fresh Milk).
AICA Caraïbe du Sud (AICA-SC)explains that “Homo Sargassum” is an itinerant exhibition that has traveled several months, and that it was produced to encourage “rethinking Sustainable Development Goal 14, in light of the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference, co-organized by France and Costa Rica from June 9 to 13, 2025, in Nice, France.”
AICA-SC’s detailed review indicates that highlights include a large-scale installation by Alejandro Durán, made from recycled plastic found on Mexican shores over the years, and a dress using alternative leather made from Sargassum seaweed, created by the eco-design duo Felder + Felder.
For more information, see https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/now-view
For more information, see https://www.tout-monde-foundation.org/ and https://www.eventbrite.com/e/homo-sargassum-curatorial-tour-artist-talk-tickets-1368969266929 review underlines
Read an excellent review, in French, at https://aica-sc.net/2025/05/27/homo-sargassum-au-siege-des-nations-unies/; also see https://www.facebook.com/aicasudcaraibe
Also see (2024 exhibit) https://news.fsu.edu/news/arts-humanities/2024/09/04/fsu-mofas-newest-exhibit-focuses-on-critical-environmental-issue-plaguing-the-gulf/
[Shown above: artwork by Ronald Cyrille.]
[Many thanks to AICA Caraïbe du Sud and Veerle Poupeye (Critical.Caribbean.Art) for bringing this item to our attention.] The “Homo Sargassum” exhibition is organized by Tout-Monde Art Foundation and endorsed by the Permanent Missions of France and Barbados to the United Nations. Curated by Vanessa Selk and assistant Youna Esposito (see full curatorial team below),