Following his latest show at Almine Rech, Kenny Scharf has teamed up with Parley for the Oceans on 12 individually painted surfboards whose proceeds will benefit Parley’s Global Clean Up Network, paying special emphasis on the shorelines of Tulum, Mexico.
As a frequent visitor to the Yucatán Peninsula, a region that Parley has operated in since 2017, Scharf lauded at the chance to work with like-minded individuals who shared an “obsession” with preventing the harm plastic poses to our oceans. The legendary American street artist has been collecting waste along shorelines since the 1980s and frequently uses them in sculptural pieces that seem childish at first glance but raise awareness to the ecological concerns plastic poses to society.
“Parley was born in the art community and wouldn’t exist without the enormous support of artists, curators, collectors, galleries and museums,” said Parley’s founder and CEO, Cyrill Gutsch. “Kenny Scharf’s contribution to Parley is a wonderful example of how an artist can use his work to create impact, his voice to encourage thousands of us to move forward and to believe that we can invent our way out of this global plastic crisis with creativity, ingenuity and passion.”
Hand-made by legendary shaper, Tim Bessell, the 12 boards can be purchased by contacting Parley’s website.
Also in the news, Christie’s will auction artwork next month with proceeds benefitting New York’s AIDS Memorial.
