Few could have predicted the impact of the award-winning Blue Planet II documentary and David Attenborough’s stirring words on the devastating effects of plastic waste in our oceans. As the plastic-free movement gains traction worldwide, Battersea-based JGM Gallery is this month hosting a timely exhibition on the dangers of discarded fishing nets and the small, but powerful community of artists fighting back.

Caught in the Net is a new show from a group of Aboriginal Australian artists at the forefront of the ‘ghost net’ artistic movement. Ghost nets are silent killers – lost or discarded fishing nets made from synthetic materials that are left adrift in the world’s oceans. Not only are these nets a threat to sea animals that get caught in them, but they can also spread disease and parasites to precious reef environments.

On the tiny island of Erub, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, a small indigenous community of artists have been creating sculptures from recycled ghost nets to highlight issues surrounding biodiversity and environmental preservation. 

The exhibition, which is being held in partnership with the Blue Marine Foundation, is a landmark for JGM Gallery; a contemporary exhibition space founded in 2017 by Australian art dealer-turned-gallerist Jennifer Guerrini Maraldi. Today JGM Gallery is recognised as having the UK’s best selection of contemporary Aboriginal Australian art. Through Caught in the Net, JGM Gallery is hoping not only to shine a spotlight on the plastic pollution crisis, but to also promote the acknowledgement and understanding of different cultures.

Caught in the Net is hosted from 13 June – 17 August 2019; jgmgallery.com