Profits and Poisons

2012 45cm x 45cm x 5cm
sculpture: wire, paper-mache, plaster and archival photographic print

Profits and Poisons is based on a 17th century Kraak porcelain plate in the collection of the Asian Museum of Civilisation in Singapore. The plate was adapted to include city professionals donning masks to protect against pollution. They are encircled by a series of eight miniature images of the most polluted cities in China. Economic success can come at a very high cost. Will unprecedented levels of pollution that directly effect millions of people compel China to lead the way with environmental solutions?

Cash, Clash & Climate - MASLEN & MEHRA

All the sculptures in this series are hand-made by Maslen & Mehra using wire, paper-mâché and decoupage. Cash: For this collection the works explore bailouts, credit culture, money made from war, tampon tax, housing bubbles, natural capital, the commodification of food staples and the almost religious status that money has reached in our times. Clash: Social unrest from Istanbul to Athens, the use of social media to organize protests, the charged debate concerning gun control and gun rights in the US and even the London riots of 2011 feature. Climate: This theme loosely covers environmental topics such as chronic pollution as a heavy cost for economic power in China, melting ice caps, the opposing views of climate change, the legacy of radiation from Japans nuclear disaster and the untimely death of a sperm whale in Spain from ingesting 17kg of plastics generated for British and European supermarkets.