The small island of Isla Mujeres, off the coast of Cancún, Mexico, is getting big dose of art with the recent inauguration of “Sea Walls: Murals for Oceans,” a display of 15 large-scale murals by some of the top names in contemporary street art.
The project was organized by PangeaSeed, a Hawaii-based nonprofit that raises awareness for the conservation of sharks and other marine species around the world, and the goal is to educate both local residents and tourists about conservation efforts in the area.
The group’s founder, Tre’ Packard, said that the close to five-mile-long island was chosen for the works because whale sharks, which are overfished and an endangered species, migrate off its coast from May to September.
“It’s one the largest gatherings of these animals in the world, and these artworks are a form of activism,” he said in a phone interview.
The images, which will hang permanently in the island’s downtown area, are all different renditions of the sharks and of manta rays, also an endangered species.
Tristan Eaton, a Los Angeles-based artist whose work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, for example, created a 130-foot multicolored collage with different paintings that comprise a shark silhouette.
To prepare for the project, the artists visited the island and had two days to swim and interact with both varieties of animals.
Other participants include Yoh Nagao from Japan, Pelucas from Spain and Cinzah Seekayem from New Zealand.