French street artist James Colomina has struck again with his signature red resin sculptures, this time targeting climate change denial by installing unauthorized artworks in Amsterdam's iconic canals. The Toulouse-based artist, known for his guerrilla-style installations around the world, timed his latest political statement to coincide with COP 30, the global climate conference currently taking place in Brazil.
Two provocative installations titled "I'm Fine" and "Waterline" now sit in Amsterdam's waterways, crafted from the artist's trademark red resin material. These unauthorized sculptures serve as a stark warning about rising sea levels and humanity's collective denial of climate change. The artworks were strategically placed in the Dutch capital, a city particularly vulnerable to rising waters, while other works by Colomina are simultaneously being exhibited at Amsterdam's STRAAT Museum.
"The artwork is a reflection on global warming and especially on the collective denial that accompanies it, this way we have of repeating that everything is fine while the water rises," Colomina explained. The artist emphasized his intention to highlight "the trace we will leave if nothing changes" as sea levels continue to rise due to climate change.
The two installations are designed to communicate with each other in a powerful visual dialogue. "One is sinking, the other marks the water level," Colomina described. This artistic conversation between the pieces reinforces his message about the urgent reality of climate change and society's tendency to ignore mounting evidence of environmental catastrophe.
Colomina's latest works address "our era, climate urgency, this fragile border between carelessness and disaster," according to the artist. His sculptures embody the contradiction between maintaining normalcy while environmental destruction accelerates around us.
Born in 1974 in Aude, France, James Colomina deliberately cultivates an air of mystery and never shows his face publicly. His red resin sculptures appear unexpectedly in locations around the world, creating maximum impact through surprise and unauthorized placement. Recent examples include a sculpture of Donald Trump emerging from a sewer manhole in New York and a piece featuring Vladimir Putin sitting on a tank in a children's playground.
Often called the "Banksy of sculpture" in reference to the elusive activist artist whose paintings appear on streets across continents, Colomina exhibits his work both in France and internationally. His guerrilla-style approach to political art continues to challenge audiences while addressing urgent contemporary issues through provocative public installations that force viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about climate change and political leadership.
