I'm Not Plastic: When Sculpture Becomes a Voice for the Ocean

Some sculptures are created to decorate a space. Others are created to tell a story.

I'm Not Plastic, by conservation artist Jacha Potgieter, was born from a simple but urgent message: our oceans are filling with plastic, and wildlife is paying the price.

Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic enter the world's seas, where it can remain for hundreds of years. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, seabirds feed plastic fragments to their chicks, and marine mammals become trapped in discarded fishing gear. What begins as everyday waste often ends as a life-threatening hazard for the animals that call our oceans home.

Rather than simply talking about the issue, Jacha chose to create something that would encourage people to stop, look and think.

The sculpture challenges our relationship with single-use plastics and the choices we make every day. It reminds us that what we throw away rarely disappears. Instead, it travels through rivers and coastlines before becoming part of the environment, where wildlife often cannot distinguish it from food.

For Jacha, art has always been about more than aesthetics. Throughout his career, conservation has remained at the heart of his work. Whether through wildlife photography, paintings or sculpture, his aim is to create conversations that continue long after people leave the gallery.

I'm Not Plastic reflects this philosophy perfectly. It invites viewers to question how modern lifestyles affect the natural world while demonstrating that art can be a powerful tool for education and environmental awareness.

Creating the sculpture required patience, research and a deep understanding of the environmental issues it represents. Every detail was carefully considered, not only from an artistic perspective but also to communicate a message that is both accessible and thought-provoking. The result is a sculpture that encourages discussion across generations, inspiring visitors to consider the impact of their own choices.

Plastic pollution is often described through statistics, but numbers alone rarely change behaviour. Art reaches people differently. It creates an emotional connection that encourages empathy, reflection and, ultimately, action. A single sculpture can become the starting point for conversations about conservation, sustainability and our shared responsibility to protect the natural world.

As both an artist and conservationist, Jacha Potgieter believes creativity has an important role to play in inspiring positive change. Every sculpture, photograph and painting offers an opportunity to engage people with wildlife and the environmental challenges facing our planet.

I'm Not Plastic is more than a sculpture. It is a reminder that the choices we make today will shape the world we leave for future generations. Through art, Jacha hopes to encourage people not only to admire wildlife, but also to play their part in protecting it.

Because sometimes the most powerful message is not spoken at all it is simply seen. Written by Marco Moh

I'm Not Plastic