By Graciela Noemi Ghirardosi:
Artist, Veterinary Doctor and Author
“As a kid, I always liked science and maths. Formulas and numbers never seemed scary for me back then, but now as an adult, some numbers look terrifying. About 300 million tonnes of plastic waste (practically the same weight of the entire human population) are generated per year.
More than 8 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since the 1950s and almost 80% of that amount has accumulated in landfills or the natural environmentsurrounding us. Every year, 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans so if current trends continue, by 2050 the sea could contain more plastic than fish. That pops the question, what do you do with your plastics? My name is Graciela Noemi Ghirardosi, I’m an artist and I reuse mine.
“I grew up in Buenos Aires where I graduated as a veterinary doctor and moved to Abu Dhabi in 2009 to work in a horse stable. A couple of years later, when I became a mother, I decided to dedicate full time to my children and my other passion, painting. And that’s how I started a colourful journey of multiple projects, art festivals and exhibitions that leads to the creation of “Mr. No Litter”, my first children’s book. But how a veterinarian goes from painting to writing a book? This is my story…
The Lost Art of Reusing
“As an artist, I always liked to experiment with different media, materials and textures.And at some point, standard art materials were not enough so I started including everyday objects in my paintings. The notion of durable things that ended up discarded when they could be put to another use, haunted me every time I threw something in the bin. The thought of throwing objects that could have a new purpose instead offinding their end in the garbage and later on in a landfill, made me feel guilty and very self-conscious about the fact that something needed to be done. I believed I was being selfish and even lazy. But, what could I do to change that? Somehow, art was the answer. At first, my career as a veterinary doctor was very much reflected in my paintings.
“Majestic horses, with a very personal design, painted with a mix of acrylic and sand from the desert and including 7 horseshoe nails in their mane, were the starting point to create a whole project. The sand helped me create texture in some anatomical parts I liked to remark and, the horseshoe nails provided a way to connect my original profession with this new chapter of my life: I always use 7 horseshoe nails which represent, on one hand, the 7 cervical vertebrae that compose the skeleton of the neck and, on the other, the seven emirates that constitute the country were this project originated.
“After many years of exhibitions and art fairs in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Paris, New York and Buenos Aires, among other places, the global pandemic of Covid-19 that impacted us all put a stop into all that and a couple of years of self- reflection and more family time, translated also in different art projects with more use of everyday things. That thought of giving a different use to discarded objects became a reality and plastic pieces became part of my artwork. With more time in my hands, I started taking action, cleaning all type of plastic containers and bottle caps, using what I could in my art and taking the rest to recycling plants.
“And, in the same way that cleaning and reusing plastic pieces grew into a family endeavor, “Mr. No Litter” started as a family project during those days of lockdown. I created the character with my son, who was the brain behind some of his superpowers. The idea of a superhero, whose mission in this Universe was to take care of the environment of the different planets, turned into a story I wrote with rhymes and compelling language for young children. For me, as an artist, a story is not complete without shapes and colours. Mr. No Litter needed an image, a face and a suit and a whole scenery to wander through the pages while telling his tale. With my illustrations, Mr. No Litter became alive and his story turned into a book recently self-published in the UAE and available in many schools and public libraries in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
“Sometimes we need to take a different turn in our lives or write an extra chapter in our stories. Like myself, sometimes we need a fresh start or even a change in our careers. The point is, we all deserve another chance, even our plastics. So, the question now is… what are YOU going to do?
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More information about Graciela:
Graciela Noemí Ghirardosi is an artist and a Veterinary Doctor from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has exhibited her artworks in many venues in UAE including Manarat al Saadiyat, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, Dubai Opera, Dubai Design District, Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, Dubai Expo 2020 and the Embassy of Argentina to the UAE, among others. She took part in exhibitions and projects for Abu Dhabi Municipality, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi, the Ministry of Culture and
Knowledge Development of UAE and United Nations UAE. Internationally, she took part in exhibitions in Argentina, Georgia, Mauritius, Paris and New York and her artworks are part of private collections in Argentina, UK, UAE and Mauritius. As part of her creative personality and interests, she recently took on the challenge of writing and illustrating children’s stories with an environmental focus.
Contact: https://gracielahorses.wixsite.com/nails-and-sand
Instagram: @gracielanoemiarg
