ARTIST'S STATEMENT: Whale sharks and beluga whales are both currently facing the threat of extinction due to human activities, which is a part of the larger issue of the Sixth Extinction. In my artwork I try to convey the beauty of these creatures. As both are fascinating and beautiful creatures, despite being endangered. Whale Sharks have a unique spotted pattern on their skin, which is a combination of light spots on a dark background. Beluga Whales have a distinctive white coloration, which makes them easily recognizable and strikingly beautiful in the Arctic waters they inhabit. The human hands conveys a message of protection and care for these endangered species. Overall, through my artwork, I try to showcase the beauty of these incredible creatures and help to raise awareness of the need for conservation efforts to protect them from the threat of the Sixth Extinction.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT: Humans would be the ones getting extinct at the end of the sixth extinction. I portrayed the extinct animals, an endangered dolphin, and a person lining up in a film tape as a warning that it will eventually be our turn to be extinct, like a scene in a filmstrip that would inevitably be played in chronological order. Unlike the five previous mass extinctions that occurred due to environmental pressures, “the sixth extinction” is driven by human activities like oil spills, ocean trash, and net entanglements. Vaquita is on the verge of extinction—only ten left—due to illegal fishing and entanglement in gillnets. Moreover, less than 10,000 Kemp’s Ridley Turtles are left due to pollution, overfishing, and humans’ use of artificial light. Furthermore, only 1570 Hawaiian Monk Seals are left due to net entanglements. Finally, tombstones symbolize the deaths of humans following the destruction of marine ecosystems.