Exhibition: Sharks and Humanity

An exhibition dedicated to the protection of sharks was opened on December 11 at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. On display are large-scale installations, inside and outside, photos, drawings, performances, poems, videos and sculptures from China, Singapore, Germany, the USA and Australia, also with indigenous aspects. The exhibition is supported by the WildAid organization, which has set itself the task of stopping the illegal trade in wildlife and products, such as shark fins, and this task sets the tone for the artists. "Sharks are very important to nature. They are like wolves, balancing nature and man is one of them. " Says Jiwei Li, one of the 30 participating artists. Wolfgang Müller spoke with Jiwei Li and Ling Jian, two of the participating artists, both of whom are Chinese but also speak German.

Li Jiwei - Don't Clone II in der Ausstellung On Sharks and Humans Source: supplied: Maritime Museum Sydney

Li Jiwei made a bright blue shark out of 70 plastic pieces hung in the room. The 4-meter-long sculpture is also illuminated by X-rays, with the bones seen through the body representing a Chinese landscape.

The title of the sculpture, Do not Copy II - is an attempt by the artist to convey respect for nature and to encourage people to analyze their own behavior in society. If we now adapt our behavior to the circumstances, he says, we could save ourselves from a future populated by clones.

Lin Jian is a painter and actually works in oil, but has used seawater for this project to paint watercolors using the element in which the sharks move. He calls his contribution to the exhibition, which consists of 11 watercolors, 500 million years of being - the time in which this life form already exists on earth. In his paintings, he combines symbolic and realistic elements that point to the cruelty of shark hunting, but also look aesthetically beautiful. He wants to draw the people with his works to the responsibility that we have today - perhaps more than ever - against nature.

The show has already been running in Monaco, Singapore, Moscow, Beijing and Hong Kong, with great success in Sydney until June 2, 2019. Incidentally, admission is free.