Riva Nayaju Artist Statement
Plastic was considered the savior of nature at some point in history. Today, the overuse of single-use plastic is at the expense of millions of aquatic lives. It is time that we make conscious choices. Do we need that much plastic?
My work here is made completely out of single-use plastic bags infused with heat. The hand-cut silhouette of living and dead aquatic animals is the representation of life in water starting to be affected by plastic pollution. Awareness of what water means to us and to the marine life is significant for preserving the ecosystem as a whole.
As an artist from Nepal I am inspired by my country’s natural landscapes, mountains and monuments, and like many Nepalese, I am a caretaker of our environment.
Riva Nayaju is a Nepalese architect, artist and graphic designer. She holds a degree in B.Arch from Khwopa Engineering college, Nepal and is currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Oklahoma State University, pursuing her MFA in Graphic Design. Her projected graduation is May 2021. See more of her work on Instagram.
