Paola Idrontino is a multidisciplinary artist from Italy based near Barcelona. In 2004 she completed a first class BA (Hons), in graphic design at Central St Martins College, London.
In 2016 inspired by the declining health of coral reefs worldwide she began her largest project to date: Evanescent; a 2x4meter textile and mixed-media sculpture which portrays coral bleaching caused by climate change. This sculpture (pictured below), was completed this year, May 2018.
Evanescent is being displayed at the Maritime Museum in Barcelona, it will be an opportunity for Paola to promote the International Year of the Reef, and also raise awareness for coral reefs. Evanescent is available for display (please contact her directly).
“As an individual, i can take action to change the fate of our world’s oceans. As an artist I feel responsible to present the story of our oceans in ways that engage a global audience and create awareness that leads to the necessary action”.
Paola’s recent work has also been inspired by the ocean:
AMPHRITE: Goddess of the ocean, lives under the sea and looks after all of the sea creatures. Many ancient cultures connected the seahorse with divine beings. A rather lovely story from Greco-Roman times indicates that the seahorse is a guide to drown sailors. This creature safely guides them through the spiritual vortex until they reach their afterlife. The seahorse invites us to hold on, slow down, and observe where we are and where we are going. The extraordinary beauty we can find in the smallest things and how everything is interconnected and part of the one stream of life.
OCEANICA: This image invites us to observe the transcendent beauty hiding beneath the waves. Oceanica is the protector of all the marine life in the ocean, this vast and precious entity on our planet that gives us life.
MOTHER OF CORALS: This image portrays the astounding beauty of coral reefs. A reminder that it is not too late to act promptly to mitigate the effects of coral bleaching caused by global warming.
PLASTIC POLLUTION: Debris of an aristocratic society. Over 100 million marine animals are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean.
Most of her work can be viewed on her website: http://www.papayapie.com/ but she also documents her work on Instagram and Facebook