Despite its meaningfulness and peculiar format, Ubiquitous: Microplastics in the Body did not receive much attention: there was no announcement that the exhibition was opening during Upper School Meeting, nor was there a brief introduction to the artist and her work. As a result, a majority of students surveyed have yet to visit the exhibition. In fact, some students were completely unaware of it.
Environmental artist Tracy Penn’s exhibition Ubiquitous: Microplastics in the Body opening reception highlights the overlooked existence of microplastics in our bodies at the Nesto Gallery. The installation featured 13 paintings plastered with encaustic paint and upcycled plastic, as well as over 200 lozenge-shaped microplastic sculptures suspended in the air, hung on walls, or intentionally piled up in a corner. The motivation behind this exhibition was to bring to light the omnipresence of microplastics and their effect on the health of human beings; indeed, the immersiveness produced by the combination of two-dimensional paintings and uniquely located sculptures succeeds in conveying that exact message. Despite its placement during the hectic first month of school, the exhibition attracted many students.
The paintings Everything is Everything, When We Get By, and By Your Side juxtapose dark, plain colors such as gray or black with vibrant colors like green or yellow—colors evocative of vegetation. “It’s interesting to see how the artist used green, a color often associated with trees to depict plastics,” Amy Khaing ‘27 commented on the choice of colors. Edward Qiu ‘27 added: “While the difference in color can be imagined as the variety of plastics that are polluting nature, it can also be imagined as the worsening environment eroded by plastic pollution as well.”
Indeed, according to the “Microplastics Facts” that accompanied the exhibition, plastics have caused a significant detrimental effect on the environment: fossil fuels, the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases, are an essential ingredient to the production of plastic (Beyond Plastics 2024); only 5-6% of plastic in circulation is recycled, the rest ends up incinerated, in landfills, or released into the environment (Beyond Plastics 2024). As a result, microplastics have appeared in unconventional places such as the deepest trench in the ocean and the tip of Mount Everest (National Geographic 2023). “Microplastics have been contaminating a lot of things in the world, including the food we eat,” Khaing summarized, “It’s meaningful that the artist chose themes of climate change in her exhibition.”
It is perhaps because of the minuscule size of microplastics that we let their impact slip away from our minds; Penn seeks to magnify their harm through sculptures that portray the appearance of microplastics under a microscope. “Tracy Penn's unique imagery of plastic under the microscope really captured the amount of harm that plastic pollution creates throughout our environment,” Qiu exclaimed.
The choice of scattering baseball-sized white plastic lozenges around the gallery sends an effective message—albeit, in an unusual manner that defies the standards of a typical exhibition. “Overall, I thought the exhibit was great and it really expanded my understanding of art and how it can exist. I've been so used to understanding that realistic paintings are the sole form of art and this exhibit challenged the notion of beauty and focused more on emotion and message,” Raphael Rufino ‘27 remarked.
“The gallery is pretty secluded, in my opinion. The AMC isn’t a building that everyone has the chance to visit during the school day,” Elizabeth Sim ‘27 said, “You know what they say—‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ For people who regularly visit the AMC, it’s a lot easier to be reminded of an exhibition that might be going on.” Unfortunately, the underground location of the Nesto Gallery sometimes makes paying a visit seem like a designated mission instead of a pleasant encounter. Nevertheless, the promptness of responses from students when asked about their opinions on the advertisement of these exhibitions suggests that much can be done. Eleanor Cammack ‘26 noticed that “there is an announcement occasionally made, but not really any further detail or context.” Consequently, the news eventually gets lost in the backdrop of school life. To mitigate this issue, Harrison Felix ‘27 suggested that the Nesto Gallery should make announcements on Instagram; additionally, they should “put up cool posters in the STU and outside the AMC.”
Emlyn Joseph ‘27 believes that it is a privilege that exhibitions like Ubiquitous: Microplastics in the Body are available to students a staircase away throughout the year. “But they must actually walk down the stairs and step into the gallery,” Tobias Kim ‘27 added.