Sharks are among the most relentlessly killed species on the planet, yet you’d never know it walking down the street. Out of sight often means out of mind. But the reality is brutal: over 11,000 sharks are killed every hour, and that’s a conservative estimate.

It’s easy to assume this is happening far away, in countries where shark meat is consumed or used in traditional medicine. But one of the biggest threats to sharks isn’t cultural, it’s industrial. Ghost nets, the discarded fishing gear lost from trawlers, silently drift through the ocean, entangling and killing marine life, including sharks. If you eat seafood, there’s a good chance you’ve unknowingly played a part in this destruction.

We fear sharks. But statistically, it's sharks who should fear us.

I’ve lived by the coast for over 15 years, and I’ve seen the growing tide of ocean plastics and ghost gear firsthand. Local shark species washing up dead has become heartbreakingly common. This atrocity has deeply influenced my art. I use bright colors and pop culture references to pull viewers in, then hit them with the raw truth. The visuals may be playful, but the message is urgent and sobering.

Louis Michel