In 2020, Los Angeles-based contemporary Light and Space artist Shana Mabari became the first artist-in-residence on a maritime mission lead by the non-profit Sea Shepherd Global, the world’s leading direct-action ocean conservation organization. For five days, Mabari sailed their vessel M/Y Bob Barker off the west coast of Africa, a clandestine operation part of Sea Shepherd Global’s ongoing efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the waters of Benin. It resulted in the arrest of a trawler illegally fishing in protected waters just outside an important ecological reserve. Work inspired by this journey comprises her upcoming solo exhibition “Oceans,” opening at the Porch Gallery in Ojai on Saturday, March 26 with an artist’s reception from 4-6PM (310 E. Matilija St., Ojai, CA 93023).
Mabari says. “I am beyond grateful to everyone at Sea Shepherd Global for the opportunity, in particular to the organization’s Director of Campaigns Peter Hammarstedt, who saw the unique potentials of embedding an artist onboard one of their missions.” Mr. Hammarstedt and other Sea Shepherd Global officials will be present at the March 26 opening.
Artworks to be featured in Mabari’s “Oceans” series include “Korāl” sculptures, and circular “Horizōn” pieces, all acrylic. The Korāl installation comprises more than 60 free-standing sculptures in varied colors including red, blue, violet, yellow, and orange. They range from 7 to 14 inches in height, creating a coral reef inspired environment in the gallery that aims to bring awareness to the devastation of coral reefs throughout the oceans, and highlight their remarkable underwater elegance. Horizōn is a series of eight 15-inch wall-mounted disks. They reference the elemental meeting of sea and sky, the same horizon line used by early mathematicians and astronomers including Ptolemy and Galileo to accurately measure the planets and constellations in the night sky. Ten-percent of proceeds from exhibition sales will benefit Sea Shepherd Global.
shanamabari.com
About Sea Shepherd Global:
Founded in 1977 by Captain Paul Watson in Vancouver, Canada, Sea Shepherd Global is an international, non-profit marine conservation organization that engages in direct action campaigns to defend all marine wildlife, and conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. Today the movement has independent entities in more than 20 countries, working together on direct-action campaigns around the world. In its ongoing work, Sea Shepherd Global investigates and documents when laws to protect the world’s oceans and wildlife are not enforced – they expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas, in marine sanctuaries, and in countries’ sovereign waters through cooperative agreements with established law enforcement agencies.
About Shana Mabari:
Born in Los Angeles, CA, Shana Mabari has traveled extensively, and has lived and worked in Paris, Northern India, Ibiza, and Tel Aviv. Her education includes studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris and Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. She holds a patent for the design of “Dynamic Spatial Illusions,” a portable version of a visual and sensory experimental environment. She is a recipient of the Center for Cultural Innovation ARC grant. Mabari’s overall body of work is in the continuum of the Light and Space tradition that began in Southern California in the 1960s. In addition to her studio practice, Mabari is known for her large-scale illuminated public art installations.
