Dubai: Culture-based platform Art4you Gallery launched its PLASTIC FREE JULY Art Events to inspire millions of people across the globe. Through a number of art events held throughout the month, Art4you aims to promote good cultural shifts through the arts and technology, hopes to encourage people to use less plastic. In addition to cultural movements, 60 artists from 26 different countries have embraced the concept of sustainable art in various ways. While sustainability calls for a re-evaluation of how we produce, consume, and create art and products, it also offers designers and artists the chance to reexamine their methods.
Art4you Gallery shares that they are the only community registered with Plastic Free July organisation from UAE for this large campaign in 2023 sharing the #plasticfreejuly initiatives. Other than the art exhibition, they also included sustainability live art, panel discussion and a networking event. Below are the other details;

Sustainability & Art – REIMAGINE, RECREATE, RESTORE! – Art4you gallery organized gatherings for art community in UAE to engage with one another and build valuable connections with this unique networking event-Sustainability Art titled REIMAGINE, RECREATE, RESTORE – hosted by The Arabeska City Walk on 2023 with series of activities. H.E. Mr. Yaqoob Al Ali officially opened the event in front of Lara Tabet, which was a fantastic inspiration for all artists.
Jalal Abusamaa, an Indian caricaturist and illustrator, led a workshop with Sustainability Live Art for about 16 art ists. Environmentally friendly art exhibitions have increased awareness of the critical need to preserve our planet. They are using art to captivate audiences and persuade them to think about the impact their behavior has on the environment. Together, the artists Victoria Szydlak from Poland, Willie V Taladro from the Philippines, Maria Komal Abie from India, Dalal Taleb from Syria, Merly Mathews from India, and Mujeeb Kehar from Pakistan displayed sustainable art to encourage more people to be more aware of their actions.

Virtual Art Exhibition – Let’s Live with Less Plastic – Single-use plastic is polluting our oceans,
feeding the creatures we consume, and eventually becoming our food. Stop using single-use plastic, demand more effective recycling methods, and put an end to plastic pollution.’ A total of 20 sustainable artists were involved, including Ali Alzwaylif – Iraq, Argie Amancio – Philippines, Elizabeth Davis – Oman, Eri Kato – Japan, Gulalek Esenowa – Turkmenistan, Joao Charrua – Portugal, Kanak Mitra – Oman, Margarita Ado – Lithuania, Maria Komal Abie – India, Maisa Taslaq – Jordan, Mussarat Yasmin Abid – Pakistan, Nirmeen Hashim – Egypt, Ruben Molina – Venezuela, Saida Banu – India, Slam Austin – Nigeria, Suma Dileepkumar – India, Supriya Chauhan – India, Vasilisa Eliseeva – Russia, Veena Devagiri – India, and Victoria Szydlak – Poland showcased 60 artworks on large virtual 3D gallery space.
‘Placing these artworks in Virtual Art Gallery locations was a powerful approach to inform every one of the
world’s plastic pollution crises while also asking everyone to contribute to the solution.’ Art4you Gallery Curator Jesno Jackson stated, ‘Art is such an ideal means to express vital messages regarding the state of the planet and society in general. This art exhibition had some incredible established and emerging artists. Hundreds of thousands of visitors will be exposed to the gallery via a link where they may walk through and experience the 3D interactive area each day to spread the message of Plastic Free July and plastic pollution in general. ‘Plastic pollution has become one of the most distressing parts of modern life,’ stated Rengi Cherian, Founder – Art4you The artworks at the exhibitions offered the opportunity to learn about environmental issues and how to live more sustainably with ‘NO PLASTIC’. The artists used all types of materials for their paintings – from leaves, flowers, t-shirts, denims, sticks, plastic, cardboards, palm trees, recycled plastics, broken mirrors – to create sustainable artworks, portraying their emotions and feelings towards Planet Earth. Let’s Live with Less Plastic is supported by Plastic Free July Foundation and will be on show across the UK .

Plastic Free – Morning Tea – Plastic Free Morning Tea was a popular way of making and sharing TEAa nd food, fun with conversations about plastic free solutions. Art4you hosted this in a great way inviting artists together with a TEA that hasn’t been wrapped in plastic.
Eco-friendly Live Art – The Green Revolution, Dubai – 15 UAE Based artists from 10 nationalities
painted eco-friendly live art on theme “Beat Plastic through ART” demonstrating that there is no barrier to
creativity. This event was hosted in support with the sustainability partner – The Green Revolution Dubai. The participating artists were Lene Pieters – South Africa, Tetiana Yatlo, Malek Elsakka – Ukraine, Nirmeen Hashim – Egypt, Meetu Garg, Kumar Chadayamangalam, Jesno Jackson – India, Ghaya Al Hababi – UAE, Dima Albitar –Syria, Alia Amin – Pakistan, Labiba Ferhat – Algeria, Yuliya Solomennaya – Belarus and Fatima Ghandour –Lebanon.

Panel Discussion – Tackling Plastic Through Art: As part of a Day devoted to awareness, conservation, and sustainability, a panel of environmental champions spoke, including Peter Farrington, Dr. Rosanna Cavaletto, Eng. Maitha Alblooshi, Lene Pieters, Rabah El Aawaar, Kiara Kaur, Alaa El-Hag, and Maria Komal Abie. They talked about alternate zero-waste alternatives, how we can contribute, and what the future holds. What does it mean to you to live a sustainable lifestyle? was one of the topics covered. Can We Survive Without Single-Use Plastic? Environmental art, creative sustainability as a way of life, and the impact of art; how does art help kids and children advocate for sustainability?

Dr. Rosanna Cavalleto – Green Dentist, was able to accommodate the content to suit her preferences and was able to educate the crowd about the global plastic waste issue and dentistry. She was able to share sustainable lifestyle tips which were relatable and easy to adopt in our daily lives. Peter Farrington is one of the pioneers in the sustainability industry. His work experience as conservationist environmentalist at DM constantly updates himself with the eco-friendly news. As our guest speaker he shared more on how we can make change for the environment. His execution of his content was well narrated to raise awareness of environmental sustainability.A ccording to the young speaker Kiara Kaur, one of the best ways to combat plastic pollution is to set an example and make sure the products you purchase were manufactured with ethics and the environment in mind.

The violinist Cynthia Kabsa did a good job of playing music, which is a significant component of our culture, ourindividual, and collective identity, has motivated people to live more sustainably. At Art4you, total 60 artists had contributed and wanted to honour earth and the environment around the world by expressing it through their art pieces. These initiatives are one-of-a-kind which promises to give viewers a multi-sensory experience of something we take for granted as a given in everyday life—plastic waste. Jesno Jackson, the curator of the entire event pledged – Let’s Beat Plastic Through Art!