PVC Art

At the end of the nineteenth century the world of synthetic chemistry began to boom. It was considered modern and progressive, so it's no wonder that artists were attracted to using it in their artistic practice. Plastics are light, easy to cut and shape in many different ways, rigid or flexible, transparent or opaque, colored or not; for this reason they are extremely fascinating for artists, as they allow them to amplify the effect of light and space.

Plastic is not a neutral material; it has a specific cultural and social context. The first synthetic polymer was invented by John Wesley Hyatt in 1869. At the time, celluloid was advertised as the savior of the elephant and the turtle. Plastics could protect the natural world from the destructive forces of human needs. The optimism about plastics did not last. Plastic debris in the oceans was first observed in the 1960s, a decade in which people became increasingly aware of environmental issues. Because it persists indefinitely as solid waste, plastic is generally considered to be the material with the highest pollution risk.

Wit works from: Valerian Polienko, Sarah Niecke, Doroteya Nancheva, Jenny Reißmann, Polina Trishkina, Ria Siegert, Franko D. Sosio, Marina Rayzuki, Detlef Schlagheck, Stephan Groß, Wolfgang Strack, Kristina Popov, Namesi, Brita Grov, Maria Helena K. Nerhus, etc.

Organised by -Neue Kunst Initiative Marzahn-Hellersdorf- www.nki-berlin.de Cooperation project with the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district office, funded by the district cultural fund.