StandardVision Artist Showcase: Addressing Pollution and Environmental Impact with Photographer Thirza Schaap

StandardVision continues its curated site-specific art program on the large-scale curved exterior display at 3rd Street Crossing with a month-long showcase of photographer Thirza Schaap’s Plastic Ocean series on view October 1st - 31st.

Combining sculpture with photography, Schaap’s Plastic Ocean series examines our changing relationship with plastics and the increasing and overwhelming presence they have in our lives. The images show a clash between worlds, offering minimal and aesthetically pleasing compositions which, on closer inspection, instill a sense of ecological grief. Schaap creates the pieces by carefully arranging trash and debris against pastel backgrounds, evoking both a sculptural beauty and a juxtaposition that exposes the ugly reality.

Schaap’s process for the series involves scouring the beaches for plastic pieces, toothbrushes, straws, flip-flops, bottles, and any other object that may have been thrown away. Schaap then recycles her findings by collaging them into these contemporary still-life photographs in hopes of raising awareness around ocean pollution. Plastic Ocean questions the concepts of consumption and idolatry, along with what it is we value in our lives today. The effect is a quirky, playful, and tragic paradox. “Our beaches are covered in plastic confetti and there really is nothing to celebrate,” expresses Schaap. With this series, she hopes to create awareness around pollution to try and prevent—or at least reduce—the use of plastic.

Thirza Schaap was born in the Netherlands and graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Since then she has been working as a photographer and is now exploring new art forms through her Plastic Ocean series. She lives and works both in Amsterdam and Cape Town, South Africa. Her work has been published by I-D, Trend Tablet, L’Officiel, Elle, Vogue, and Aperture, among others. Through her photography, Schaap is committed to denouncing the production and over-consumption of plastic in our daily lives.

Catch Thirza Schaap’s Plastic Ocean series on the digital media facade at 3rd Street Crossing on view through October 31st, and learn more about the artist on her Instagram.