Austrian ambassador opens environmental art exhibition

AMMAN — Austria’s Ambassador to Jordan Oskar Wüstinger hosted the opening reception for the “r e d u c e – r e u s e – r e c y c l e” photography exhibition in the company of the artist Ulrike Koeb. 

The exhibition is part of the 10th edition of Image Festival Amman, organised by Darat Al Tasweer, as well as the European Environment Week, according to an Austrian embassy statement.

Shown at the National Gallery of Fine Arts for the entirety of September, Koeb’s photographs present “a unique meeting point at the nexus between art and environmental awareness”, the statement said.

“Re d u c e – r e u s e – r e c y c l e” is a composition of selected works which show waste and everyday objects arranged aesthetically and harmoniously.

“The appealing images are a vivid reminder of how carelessly everyday items are thrown away, and how waste is occupying our spaces unnoticed,” read the statement. 

As climate change is one of today’s most threatening crises, this exhibition calls attention to the problem of global waste by prompting thought about consumption patterns. With her visual art, Koeb advocates for a regenerative system of the circular economy, mirroring the sustainable and waste-free cycle of nature, the statement said.

The artist lives and works as a food and still-life photographer in the Austrian capital, Vienna. In addition to commercial magazine and book projects, her photographs have appeared in numerous publications and have been featured in group and solo exhibitions in Oman, England, South Korea, the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary and Finland.

Making glass waste into new glass, reusing metal scraps to form wind turbine towers, and turning food waste into nourishing compost soil — Austria has one of the highest recycling rates in Europe due to a successful focus on waste management and recycling practices, the statement said. 

The country holds a leading position in ecological construction and environmental technology. Austrian companies are in a front-runner position in the global green technology market. Transformation towards a circular economy is one of the priorities in the Austrian government programme for 2020-2024, the embassy statement said.

Koebs’ visual art pieces can be seen until October 5 at the National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman. 

The exhibition is supported by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and the Austrian embassy in Amman.