ARTISTIC ACTIVISM
EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS Text by OLIVIA MILNE and YASH SHETTY
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IRCULAR ARTWORKS, covered in splotches and waves of vibrant color, line the walls of a quiet University Avenue gallery, luring viewers out of the noisy street and into the world of the exhibit. The confluence of activism, science and art shines vividly in Qualia Contemporary Art’s latest gallery exhibition: “Hydrophilic.” Open to the public until Dec. 3, the exhibit features a series of mounted circular works depicting dynamic waterways created by renowned environmentalist and artist John Sabraw. Sabraw’s artistic journey began with a focus on painting still lifes and landscapes. However, he felt frustrated and dissatisfied with these styles. “I had been a hyperrealist for most of my career, but I knew it wasn’t working,” Sabraw said. “I was making the shift where I was trying to talk more about where culture and where society was headed with regards to natural resources, sustainability and everything.”
44 NOVEMBER 2021
Photos by OLIVIA MILNE
When Sabraw visited the polluted jars,” Sabraw said. remnants of an acid mine drainage site in Sabraw knew the spilled acrylic Ohio, he realized the pollution contained paints were nearly identical to the ones a chemical compound used by many art- he created from the iron oxide pigments, ists: iron oxide. and when he returned to his paint-cov“This [iron oxide] is the thing that ered studio weeks later, he had a moment we’ve made paints of clarity. with since we were “The breakWithin just a year making cave paintdown and spilled ings,” Sabraw said. or two of our plant paint happened at “And I was like, almost the exact up and running, the maybe I can make same time that I paints out of this.” was messing with whole seven miles of Though inthese [iron oxide] spired, Sabraw was stream should be back pigments,” Sabraw unsure about how to full aquatic health.” said. “The two bodto use the iron oxide ies of work ended — JOHN SABRAW, artist up merging and paints in his work. On one fateful day, that’s where I ended Sabraw felt especialup with the round ly frustrated with his lack of progress and chromosomes that I’m doing now.” knocked over a jar of acrylic paint in his This happy accident showed Sabraw studio. that these pollutant-based paints could “I had a little teenage angst moment be used as a substitute for traditional and then just like knocked over all the store-bought ones, and demonstrated the
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