Maria Cristina Finucci

Maria Cristina Finucci is an Italian architect and artist whose work spans a wide range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, architecture, design, video art, and film post-production. She is best known for her ongoing Wasteland project, which explores the environmental impact of plastic waste through installations and actions around the globe. Central to this project is the creation of the Garbage Patch State, a provocative artistic statement that highlights the ocean’s plastic pollution. The Garbage Patch State was officially “declared” in 2013 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, marking the inception of a new, imagined nation symbolizing the environmental crisis caused by plastic waste.

Finucci’s monumental installations have been featured at international events, including the Venice Art Biennale (2013), MAXXI Museum in Rome (2014), Milan Expo (2015), and the Roman Forum (2018). Her works, such as Climatesaurus and H2o, aim to raise awareness about the urgent need to address ocean pollution and environmental destruction. In 2018, Finucci, as the Head of State of the Garbage Patch State, signed the UN Agenda 2030 resolution on sustainable development, furthering her commitment to environmental and social issues.

In 2022, she founded the Finucci Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to using art to raise awareness about ocean pollution, social inequality, and the destruction of the planet. Finucci’s work has garnered numerous awards, and she was named Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2019.

Her work often repurposes materials from her installations, such as recycled plastic bottle caps, symbolizing both the problem of waste and the potential for creative reuse. Through Wasteland, Finucci continues to challenge the world to confront its environmental impact and to imagine a more sustainable future.