UNESCO partners with Nautilus on sustainability at Art Basel Paris

Merging art with science to tackle environmental challenges

UNESCO and Nautilus join forces at Art Basel Paris, a leading art fair in Paris, with ‘Resilience’, a triptych exhibition merging art and science to tackle humanity's challenges in achieving harmony with oceans and biodiversity.

Bringing together art and science, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Nautilus say they are presenting Resilience at Art Basel Paris.

In a press statement, this triptych exhibition delves into humanity’s struggle to find balance with the ocean and biodiversity. Through diverse artworks, it highlights innovative solutions to environmental challenges, urging a deeper connection between people and the natural world.

UNESCO says that triptych will be showcased in a mixed print and digital format at the UNESCO-Nautilus exhibition in Grand Palais, a leading cultural space in Paris, featuring meetings and presentations on art and science over three days.

UNESCO says that the exhibition will feature three collections: Tsunami: Sea Change for Resilience, with portraits by Matt Porteous honouring 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami survivors, Biodiversity: Through the Lens, a visual exploration by Discover Earth highlighting the planet’s beauty and vulnerability and The Artists-at-Sea Collection, with works by Taiji Terasaki and Rebecca Rutstein, inspired by their experiences aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor.

The statement adds that this marks UNESCO’s second participation in Art Basel, following its December 2023 showcase in Miami, where it emphasised deep-sea wonders and marine conservation with Nautilus and the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

“The union of science and art is fundamental to questioning and reinventing our relationship with the planet. We need both scientists and artists to understand and witness the wonders of biodiversity, and the urgent need to protect them. After Art Basel Miami in December 2023, UNESCO is delighted and proud to once again promoting this dialogue at Art Basel Paris,” says Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.

“Combining Nautilus’ innate story-telling mission, UNESCO’s mandate for culture, education and sciences and a golden group of partners and artists, the exhibition invites us to contemplate the enduring forces of human and natural resilience. Even as we face an era of unprecedented environmental loss, these works of art show us that survival is not just about enduring, it is about adapting, evolving, and thriving against the odds,” says John Steele, Founder and Publisher of Nautilus.