Ocean Themed Art Shows for a Heated June

June marks a time for celebrating the start of summer, that is swooping in with a dangerous heat wave that is expected to bring the year’s hottest weather to big cities like Chicago and New York, pushing people to pile onto beaches of the warming and polluted Oceans and lakes. With this heat wave in mind, I prepared four art shows for Climate Heritage Network and Oceanic Global for the month of June.

Mobilized in 2018 during the Global Climate Action Summit and launched in 2019, The Climate Heritage Network (CHN) is a voluntary, mutual support network of government agencies, NGOs, universities, businesses, and other organizations committed to tackling climate change and achieving the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. It works to re-orient climate policy, planning, and action at all levels to account for dimensions of culture - from arts to heritage.

1. Ocean & River Lovers for World Environment Day, June 5, 2025

The  World Environment Day 2025 (WED) was hosted by the Republic of Korea with a theme of "Beat Plastic Pollution."

My art show for WED raises awareness and inspires action to address the global plastic pollution crisis. Plastic pollution is a major threat to ocean and river health, harming marine life, disrupting ecosystems, and even impacting human health. Plastics' ever-growing contamination of the environment is a major scientific and societal concern. Plastic enters the ocean through various sources, including rivers, breaks down into microplastics, and poses significant risks to marine organisms through entanglement, ingestion, and the introduction of harmful chemicals. 

Plastic pollution impacts fish in the Amazon River, including discus fish and angel fish in the oceans, which are featured in my WED art show. Microplastics and nanoplastics enter their bodies and cause harm. Studies have shown that these plastics can be ingested by the colorful Discus and angel fish, leading to gut blockage, malnutrition, and even death. Furthermore, plastic pollution can affect these fish's behavior, reduce growth, and disrupt neurotransmitter levels.  

Marine mussels, as ecosystem engineers and filter feeders, are also vulnerable to this type of microplastic pollution, according to a recent study, due to their role as filter feeders. These mussels ingest microplastics, which can negatively affect their growth, physiology, and potentially human health if consumed. However, mussels can also be valuable tools for monitoring and potentially even mitigating microplastic pollution in coastal ecosystems¹.

Ocean and River Lovers art show is a London Climate Action Week event from June 21-29, 2025.   

2. Ocean Lovers for Oceanic Global for World Oceans Day (WOD) June 8, 2025:

As an ambassador to Oceanic Global,-- that reminds us that in the day-to-day of modern life, humanity has forgotten that we are part of nature and that the ocean is our planet’s beating heart-- I celebrated WOD with an art show mirroring the theme of World Oceans Day 2025 "Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us" that highlights the ocean's wonder and the need to protect it, recognizing the importance of its role in supporting life on Earth.  

Oceans absorb over 90% of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions, leading to rising water temperatures, ocean acidification, and melting glaciers. These changes are causing significant impacts on marine ecosystems and contributing to sea level rise that is threatening to flood coastlines globally, altering ocean currents, increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as coastal flooding, storm surges, and inundating low-lying island nations in the Pacific Ocean.

3. The Melting Age by Alfons Rodriguez, Fatma Kadir & Selva Ozelli at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (LDEO) June 13- October 31, 2025

Global warming during June around the world was so intense that it triggered Alaska’s first-ever heat advisory. It also boosted Iceland and Greenland’s temperatures by more than 10°C (18 °F) above average, during a record-setting heat wave, raising concerns about the far-reaching implications of melting Arctic ice during Glacier Year, scientists said in a report released by  World Weather Attribution.

As the glacier ice sheet melts, it releases massive amounts of fresh water into the salty oceans which is slowing down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), an ocean current in the Atlantic Ocean that plays a crucial role in regulating global climate. It acts like a conveyor belt, circulating warm surface water northward and cold, deep water southward. This process distributes heat around the globe, influences regional climates,  carries nutrients that support marine life, and influences massive migrations in marine ecosystems. 

Addressing the impact of global warming on glaciers and Oceans are two art shows at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.  An AI art show of Climate Disasters Inspired by Great Masters by Mary Tiegreen. And The Melting Age Art Show by award-winning artists Alfons Rodriguez, Fatma Kadir, and Selva Ozelli, which draws attention to the impact of global warming on our world with photographs and a film by Alfons Rodriguez that spans seven continents and over 30 countries, and paintings by  Fatma Kadir and Selva Ozelli.

These two art shows at LDEO are also London Climate Action Week Events, June 21 – 29, 2025. 

4. HMVC Gallery’s Abstract Realm Art Show at Times Square Jumbotron June 21, 2025

This group art show with a painting from my Ocean Lovers 2 series marks the first day of LCAW.