Some of the most interesting contemporary artists today can be described as “environmental artists.” Olafur Eliasson, Agnes Denes and Andy Goldsworthy are three prominent examples as each engage with the environment through distinct practices: Eliasson creates immersive works focused on climate systems and melting ice, Denes transforms land into conceptual ecological statements such as urban wheat fields, and Goldsworthy constructs ephemeral sculptures from natural materials that return to the landscape, highlighting cycles of change and decay. Raphaella Spence (U.K.), Pam Longobardi (U.S.A.), Veronika Richterová (Czech Republic) and Cindy Pease Roe (U.S.A.) are four influential female artists who deserve greater recognition for their works on ocean waste. They each have exhibitions in North America and Europe in 2026 where you can see their powerful environmental artwork.

Raphaella Spence

London-born artist Raphaella Spence’s work is deeply rooted in eco-critical art, addressing climate change and environmental damage through visually compelling, often unsettling imagery. Her paintings of submerged plastic and debris make pollution tangible and immediate rather than abstract. The hyperrealistic works in her Ocean Plastic Waste series feature plastic superhero toys drifting through polluted waters alongside discarded packaging, transforming playful nostalgia into a striking commentary on environmental collapse. In Spence’s practice, hyperrealism involves the use of digital tools and photography to create imagery that not only replicates reality but intensifies and reinterprets it, pushing the final stage of her artistic process, painting, beyond what the camera alone can capture.

Since 2022, Spence has focused on underwater scenes depicting marine pollution, particularly plastic and packaging waste. Using underwater marine photography and extremely high-resolution digital cameras, she gathers source material that informs her meticulous paintings. Spence’s technical mastery does more than capture reality, it transforms it into a vivid, almost cinematic experience, compelling viewers to confront the fragility of both our cultural icons and the planet itself. The Ocean Plastic Waste series was first presented at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid in October 2022, where the paintings subsequently became new additions to the museum’s permanent collection.

With over 40 major museum exhibitions over the past 25 years, Spence’s growing international recognition continued when her work was acquired by the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York. She is currently featured at the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden, Germany, in “The Power of Images: Hyperrealism.” Building on this momentum, Spence is collaborating with the 4ocean Foundation for her upcoming solo exhibition at Burgess Modern + Contemporary in Fort Lauderdale later in 2026, where new works from her Ocean Plastic Waste series will continue to highlight the escalating plastic crisis affecting the world’s oceans.

Pam Longobardi

“Plastic is at the center of the greatest challenges the ocean and all life on earth faces as climate change and sea-level rise threaten humans and creatures alike.” Pam Longobardi

Atlanta-based artist Pam Longobardi’s Drifters Project offers a powerful visual commentary on the widespread presence of plastic waste in some of the world’s most remote environments and the impact it has on marine life. Started in 2006, after discovering piles of plastic debris the ocean was depositing on the remote shores of Hawaii, she began collecting and using this plastic as her primary material for Drifters. Discarded fishing nets, cigarette butts, cotton swabs, toys, kitchen tools and unidentifiable fragments of plastic are repurposed in her work. These found objects are transformed into large-scale sculptural forms, abstract compositions and photographic studies. A recent commission for Patina Fari Islands, Maldives, “Ocean Archeology of our Times,” included nearly 1000 pieces of global ocean plastic, collected by collaborative community action recovering plastic from Bird and Fari Island. Pam’s work will be featured in a major exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum of Art titled “Future Forward: Art for the Planet” opening autumn 2027.

Veronika Richterová

Czech artist Veronika Richterová Czech artist Veronika Richterová is known for pioneering PET (polyethylene terephthalate) Art, a practice that transforms discarded plastic bottles into intricate sculptures. Her work reimagines waste as vivid botanical and animal forms, combining environmental awareness with a playful, imaginative approach shown in galleries and public spaces. She coined the term PET Art in 2004, pioneering a practice that transforms post-consumer plastic into a sculptural medium. Her work ranges from delicate, translucent flowers and sea creatures to large-scale garden installations. Her pieces are featured in public spaces across the Czech Republic, including Prague Zoo and Mikulov Castle, as well as in international exhibitions. Recent projects such as Nová PET Tropicana at Prague’s Fata Morgana Greenhouse (2024) present hundreds of imagined “species” crafted from recycled bottles. With her husband, graphic artist Michal Cihlář, she has also assembled a global archive of more than 4,000 PET bottles for a future PET Art Museum. Upcoming exhibitions include: “Utopias” at Palmengarten, Frankfurt am Main, 1 October- 7 February 2027 and two in Czech Republic in 2026 – “Banquet” at Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, May-July and “Greenhouse Effect” at Sv. Jan pod Skalou June-September).

Cindy Pease Roe

American artist Cindy Pease Roe, founder of UpSculpt, recently created "Medusa" (2024), a 26- foot giant squid sculpture made entirely from beach-collected plastic. Upsculpt is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the crisis of ocean plastic pollution through art, science, and educational workshops. Using weaving and welding techniques, Cindy combines discarded plastics, abandoned fishing gear, Mylar balloons, rope and marine upholstery, reshaping them into organic figures and abstract assemblages. At first glance the works appear fluid and natural but closer inspection reveals the hidden debris embedded within each piece. By contrasting organic forms with entirely synthetic materials, she prompts viewers to reconsider the scale of human waste polluting the world’s oceans. Ranging from intimate sculptures to large-scale installations, her practice highlights the vulnerability of marine ecosystems. Upcoming shows with Cindy’s work will include: “Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care” at the Parrish Art Museum in Watermill, New York, running through 14 June 2026; “Holding Water” at the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts from June–October 2026 and “Ode to Sea” at The Leiber Collection, East Hampton as well as collaborations tied to World Oceans Week in Manhattan in June 2026.