Nathalie Rey

Plastic objects are without a doubt the most pervasive products of the modern age. Mass-produced and globally distributed, they are instantly recognized throughout the globe, and one would be hard-pressed to find a form into which plastic has not already been shaped. Yet with all this ubiquity, there comes a cost. Despite efforts at recycling, great quantities of plastic waste can be found in regions as remote as Himalayas and the middle of the Pacific Ocean; and micro-plastics, now being discovered in the lungs of humans, pose an emergent health threat.

Thus, I initially became interested in using this material as a way to critique, and my early works, in particular the Shipwreck series, focus largely on the effects of plastic waste, on its permanence, and the manner in which it has infiltrated even our most pristine natural environments. However, over time, I have become increasingly fascinated by the beauty of this material, by its colors and textures and especially by its malleability. Composition with Melted Plastic explores this fascination by using finished plastic objects as the medium for a new composition.

As with many of my other works, the creative process has enlarged my response to the subject. What was once an intellectual concern has become an aesthetic pursuit. Plastics are incredibly harmful, yet they are beautiful. This more complex position, I feel, engenders hope, a possibility for renewal, and grants me a means to face concerns that I might otherwise find too disturbing.