Ghostnets: Australian Indigenous Art, Culture and Sustainability

Organized by the Permanent Mission of Australia in association with Musée d'ethnographie de Genève (MEG) et Arts d'Australie•Stéphane Jacob, Paris

The Ghostnet exhibition forms part of the sculptural art movement that developed in northern Australia in response to the environmental problem of abandoned or drifting fishing nets. These nets lost at sea, known as ghost nets, as well as other forms of marine waste, can be transported by currents and wind over thousands of kilometres, impacting Australian Indigenous communities in Northern Australia and posing a serious threat to marine animals.

In this exhibition, ghost nets are used to produce sculptures in the remote saltwater communities where they were collected. Ghostnet artists have borrowed various techniques from the world of sculpture and art installation, with their pieces conveying a profound message about the responsibility we all have as custodians of our environment, culture and heritage.