In 2006, I launched this mangrove reforestation eco-art project to “remind us of what our community looked like before all the concrete was poured.” Since then, thousands have volunteered to help rebuild ecosystems above and below the water line. See video and original 2006 palm card below!
The celebration will be part of the opening reception for CLIMA, an exhibit showcasing recent climate science art work — as well as the mangrove paintings and prints from a decade ago!
Feel free to invite your friends and family. The event is free and open to the public!
Hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Xavier Cortada
POLITICAL REFUGEES -> CLIMATE REFUGEES
Xavier Cortada, “Open Garden | Fruta Bomba,” charcoal on canvas, 6′ x 18′, (2014)
“Open Garden | Fruta Bomba,” inspired by my interaction with Cuban artists during my 2014 artist residency in Key West, depicts a series of fruits falling upon the the island of Cuba. Each fruit– the product of a flower– represents the fruits of an open society that will come to Cuba when it is finally free: a thriving economy, equal justice for all, rule of law, free and fair elections, freedom of assembly, speech, worship, and travel, human rights, etc.
Closed societies, like Castro’s Cuba, created a mass exodus of political refugees who settled in South Florida. In time, their descendants will need to flee the peninsula. Its rising seas will close in on them, make them climate refugees.
