The Global Currency

by Bianca Burrows, Nneka Jones

St. Petersburg, USA – November 2020

Artists

Finding This Mural

1957 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL, USA

Google Map

Story Behind This Mural

Artist Statement

This collaborative mural, combining commercial and contemporary artistic styles, creates the perfect recipe for generating change. We chose to focus on overfishing as their mural topic, which is often overlooked and minimized, leading to a society driven by greed and the increased extinction of different marine species. The concept then leads into mother nature, who is not only camouflaged by the high contrast color scheme but appears to be diminishing as she looks directly at the viewer. The red-orange surrounding her hair, as well as her face, symbolizes danger and the need for us to preserve our land and oceans. The mural's left calls for self-reflection using calm blue and teal of the lotus flower to reinforce that our oceans and species need our protection, and it starts with us. When viewed as a whole, each section of the narration comes together, and the mural reflects that of a dollar bill and proclaims that this is the price we pay if we continue on a path of destruction, i.e., “the Global Currency.” We hope the mural can be internalized beyond its aesthetic value and help people to understand their daily consumption choices matter and understand the truth behind painting for a purpose.

The Focus

Overfishing