"No Fin No Future" Benefit Art Print by Brad Klausen on sale details

No Fin No Future
Art Print for sale on Wednesday July 29th at 1:00 PM PST ...

From Brad

I was asked by the folks over at Pangeaseed.com to create an art print to
help raise awareness about shark finning in Japan. If you are unaware of
what shark finning is, it is the extremely brutal act of cutting off the fins
of a shark and then throwing the still alive finless shark back into the
ocean,bleeding and unable to swim as it slowly dies. They use the shark
fins to make shark fin soup... the fin has no taste but is used to add
texture to the soup. Shark fin soup is one of those things wealthy humans
eat and serve at their parties and restaurants to show everyone how
important and wealthy they are. And it's working, we are all quite
impressed that people are willing to inhumanely butcher other living
creatures alive to appease their own narcissistic egos. Another proud
moment in human history.

Within the last few decades, the shark populations are being decimated to
the point of extinction due to shark finning. Sharks have existed on the
planet for over 400 million years and survived the 5 mass extinctions on
the planet... so in the course of the last 20 years, we humans are doing
something mother nature and the universe couldn't do in 400 million years.

Some people think sharks should be wiped out and believe in the biggest
fallacy there is about sharks: that they are aggressive maneaters who
prey on human beings. Sharks have killed people, that is true.. however
sharks kill an average of 5 people a year, whereas tigers and elephants
kill 100 people a year. Yet would anyone justify chopping off the legs
of tigers and elephants to the point of extinction because they are a
menace to humanity...? Car accidents kill around 35,000 people a year.
Sharks are no threat no us, at all. In fact it's quite the opposite. We
need sharks to maintain the stability of the food chain in the oceans.
They feed on all the species that eat plankton. Plankton converts carbon
dioxide into the oxygen we breathe. If there are no sharks, the species
that feed on plankton will devour far more of the plankton which
we need for the air we breathe.

The folks over at Pangea Seed in Japan, where shark finning is quite
rampant, were inspired to do something and help raise awareness after
viewing the beautifully shot documentary "Sharkwater" by Rob Stewart.
It's available via netflix or your local video store and you can view the
trailer and find more information here:

http://www.sharkwater.com/

When I was asked to do a print for this event, I wanted to convey the
idea of harmony and balance. It made me think about the ancient chinese
yin yang symbol. These two quotes on the yin yang sum up what I was
hoping to convey:

" Yin and Yang is used to describe how seemingly disjunct or opposing
forces are are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world."

" Yinyang as a process of harmonization ensuring a constant dynamic
balance of all things."

The poster is 18"x24" and 8 colors (the shark blend is metallic and has
a gloss varnish overlay). They are signed and numbered out of 125 but
only 60 will be up for sale on my site. The type on the poster says
"No Fin" in the upper left and "No Future" in the bottom right. The print
will be $40 and all proceeds from the sale will be going to Pangea Seed
to help save sharks. To find out more information about Pangea Seed
and read a short interview they did with me go to:

http://www.pangeaseed.com/pangea/English/English.html

http://www.pangeaseed.com/pangea/The_Finegades/Entries/2009/7/19_Chum_on_Brad_Klausen.html