In collaboration with Potato Head, New York City graffiti artist FUTURA2000 has created a sculpture titled ‘Pointman – River Warrior,’ unveiled in Bali Friday, 9 December. Created using waste collected across the island of Bali, Pointman speaks to Potato Head’s ideation that sustainability can be beautiful. FUTURA, a well-known and respected graffiti artist, is known for his innovative use of abstraction in the 1980s.
FUTURA2000 has always been progressive in his philosophy, methodology, and art practice. In addition to his abstract paintings, he developed a universe and lexicon around a metaphysical character known as the Pointman.
Credit Dwinanda Aldyan @sharpenedbamboo
Over the years, Pointman has taken many forms across drawing, painting, and sculpture. The collaboration with Potato Head sees Pointman emerge with a mission to raise awareness about river and ocean pollution, a central concern of FUTURA2000.
His studio is located on the Hudson River in New York City, with a view of the Statue of Liberty that’s unfortunately obscured by vessels transporting trash and free-floating river garbage. In reaction to this, he chose to use waste to fabricate his sculpture as a social commentary on the pollution crisis faced by rivers and tributaries, not just in New York City but in Southeast Asia.
Credit Tommaso Riva
Since 9 December, the courtyard of the OMA-designed Potato Head Studios in Bali has been home to the River Warrior sculpture. For this Pointman, 888kg of plastic from motor oil bottles to discarded water gallon lids sourced by the community organisation, Yayasan Kakikita, were used. The unveiling event brought together traditional Balinese ideals with FUTURA2000‘s urban aesthetic. It featured a performance by Australian dance company Chunky Move, talks, craft beers, and Balinese food stalls.
Futura Laboratories x Potato Head t-shirts, tote bags, and tumblers were sold at the launch. A portion of the proceeds was donated to Sungai Watch to support their mission of cleaning Bali’s rivers.
©2022 Futura2000
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