Artist Surfboard Edition
Ed Ruscha x Parley
No one sees the trash in the ocean - it's easy to not think about it. Parley is addressing this problem, and I'm proud to support the cause.
- Ed Ruscha
The Amazing Earth, 1984/2017
Hi-res digital print laminated on a Firewire Timbertec Paulownia wood surfboard, 5' 3'' x 21 1/4'' x 2 3/8''
Edition of 20 (+8AP)
Signed on verso, Courtesy of Parely for the Oceans
This work is based in the original painting, The Amazing Earth, from 1984.
The Amazing Earth. Words floating over a view. The image depict what appears to be the coloraturas in the sky as the sun is setting. The juxtaposition of the color gradient of the sky with the text fragments is an appreciation for the earth and nature. Ruscha's words often arise from some inscrutable context and they come along with elusiveness. There are open hints of of the transcendental, like where and how is the condition of place and relation of humans in nature and the world? Ruscha's works often refer to urban, American life and culture, but also un this case, to our mutual, amazing earth
Katharina Grosse x Parley
I understand a painting as something that, as we view it, travels through us and realigns our connections with the world.
- Katharina Grosse
Colorless with a hint of blue, 2019
Series of 20 unique surfboards
Acrylic and spray-paint on laminated Paulownia wood, 5' 3'' x 21 1/4'' x 2 3/8''
Signed on verso, Courtesy of Parely for the Oceans
For Parley for the Oceans, Katharina Grosse produced 20 individually painted surfboards. Grosse herself one compared the perception of her abstract color-environments with her body surfing experience: It's amazing feeling to swim through swirling underwater sandstorms while the water shapes the land." In this sense, the erratically painted surfaces of these works can be seen as a reverberation of the enigmatic and dynamic character of the seas. What is usually hidden, now becomes form and color, realigning connections with the world.
Rosemarie Trockel x Parley
Albatros, 2019
Series of 20 unique surfboards + 8 AP
Fiberglass print on laminated Paulownia wood, 6'0" x 20 1/2 x 2 1/2"
Signed on verso, Courtesy of Parely for the Oceans
The title of the work Albatros refers to one of the most celebrated poems by Charles Baudelaire published in the second edition of the volume Les Fleurs du Mal. Baudelaire recounts the grace of the "kings of the sky" in flight and its misfortunes on land, alluding to the artist and poet in their creative worlds contrasted to the mundanity of daily life. Albatrosses glide above the waves as do surfers, imbued with the forces of the oceans. Indeed, albatross, surfer and poet are "winged voyagers”, their spirits colliding in this piece.
Rosemarie Trockel (*1952) is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential artists in Germany. All proceeds of the sales will support Parley's Global Cleanup Network.
Kenny Scharf x Parley
When I am swimming in the Ocean, I actually sometimes believe that I am a dolphin. I can hear them under the water, very high pitch, and I put my head up and they are jumping all around me. I feel very connected to Dolphins.
- Kenny Scharf
Untitled, 2021
Series of 12 unique surfboards
Spray-paint on Surfboard, 6'5'' x 20 x 2.5''
Surfboards handmade by Tim Bessel
Signed on verso, Courtesy of Parely for the Oceans
Kenny Scharf produced 12 individually painted surfboards to support Parley for the Oceans, with proceeds going to Parley’s Global Clean Up Network with a special focus on Tulum, Mexico. Parley’s global alliance to end marine plastic pollution is active across 30 countries, intercepting plastic waste from beaches, islands, and in remote coastal communities.
These surfboards unite the worlds of art and surfing as a messenger for the cause. Each is a surfable symbol and a call for eco-innovation, creativity and collaboration to protect our oceans. The surf community is equally vital to the Parley mission as the artists, as they know the oceans like no others. This project is a synthesis of a surfer’s love for the ocean and an artist’s imaginative call for change.
With Scharf’s frequent visits to the Yucatán Peninsula over the years, he has seen the increase in the amount of plastic waste washing up along the coast. Parley Mexico is operating in several locations across the Yucatan Peninsula, and is working in collaboration with more than 30 local groups, government institutions, universities, social organizations, and the private sector. As a hotspot for biodiversity, the interception of marine plastic pollution is crucial to the survival of endangered species.
Kenny Scharf has been collecting plastic waste from the shorelines since the 80s, often using them to form playful art installations. His understanding of plastic’s never-degrading nature and its ecological cost is reflected in this practice. As we enter the most dangerous and stressful moment in our ecological human history, Scharf felt compelled to help Parley clean up the oceans.
Keiichi Tanaami x Parley
Images on this page: courtesy of Parley for the Oceans in curtesy/ Ed Ruscha, Katharina Grosse, Tom Wagner/Rosemarie Trockel, Kenny Scharf