Over the course of last couple of months, Ernest Zacharevic and a select of group of artists and activists have visited Sumatra and created public works and installations in effort to raise the awareness about the devastating effects of the booming unregulated farming practices of Palm Oil in Indonesia. After almost two years of planning, the Splash and Burn project that was fully self founded and self organized by the Lithuanian artist and his team, has been shared with the public and the results are impressive to say the least.
Working in full secrecy and in close collaboration with local and international NGOs including the London-based charity Orangutans-SOS.og and Indonesian Based NGO Orangutan Information Centre, all the works were created and/or installed on authentic locations throughout the island. Including world renowned artists known for their engaged interventions, this international project featured the works of Mark Jenkins (USA), Axel Void (USA), Pixel Pancho (ITA), Isaac Cordal (ESP), Strøk (NOR), Gabriel Pitcher (UK), Ernest Zacharevic (LIT) and Bibi (MAL).
The works created tackle issues such as the trans boundary haze, deforestation, human and animal displacement, as well as the ongoing ignorance and neglect from the global community. This longstanding controversial issue receives much media attention in peak moments of crisis, but very little in the months between the burning seasons. With global consumption increasing, the project aims to introduce a new perspective to the conversation on Palm Oil. Using art as a tool, it suggests reconsidering our environment and bridging the gap between the corruption surrounding the industry and the consciousness of the global consumer.
