--- title: Michelle Beattie description: "Guided by intuition, I reimagine beach found plastic into intricate fine art compositions." url: "https://www.artsume.com/a/mishvania" type: artist createdAt: 2026-03-24 updatedAt: 2026-05-22 disciplines: - Conceptual Art - Environmental Art - Sculpture location: "Cape Town, WC, South Africa" birthYear: 1976 --- # Michelle Beattie *Guided by intuition, I reimagine beach found plastic into intricate fine art compositions. | Conceptual Art, Environmental Art, Sculpture | Based in Cape Town, WC, South Africa* ## Artist Statement Michelle Beattie (MISHVANIA) – Artist Statement Michelle’s relationship with beach plastic began in childhood, collecting what she called “Mermaid Tears” along the shores of Plettenberg Bay. Years later, she discovered these were raw, unmanufactured plastics known as nurdles. Now based in Kommetjie, Cape Town, she has become increasingly aware of the volume of plastic washing up on local beaches and its fundamental impact on the environment. Michelle’s art practice began in late 2020. She collects beach plastic from her local beaches to give the ocean a “voice” through her art. Each piece develops organically, allowing the materials to shape her compositions. Her work explores the tension between beauty and environmental impact, transforming discarded plastic into intricate fine art that invites reflection on our relationship with the natural world. Ocean plastic is a pressing ecological crisis, threatening marine life and the health of our oceans. Through her work, Michelle hopes to raise awareness and gently challenge viewers to make more conscious choices in their daily lives. As she says: “If I don’t show you, you will not see.” Having presented two solo exhibitions and being represented by three galleries in Cape Town, Michelle is humbled by the opportunity to share her work with both local and international audiences, and a global client base, while continuing to transform discarded plastic into meaningful, thought-provoking art. ## Biography I’m Michelle Beattie (MISHVANIA), a Cape Town-based artist who transforms beach-found plastic into intricate fine art. Guided by intuition, I transform discarded plastics into art that is both beautiful and thought-provoking, sparking conversations about our environmental impact as my pieces find homes and offices across the globe. Since 2020, I’ve presented two solo exhibitions and am represented by three galleries. ## Curriculum Vitae ### Solo Exhibitions - **2026** - "TRACE - After the Tide," 156Kloof Cape Town (Curated by Johan Alberts) - **2025** - "LITTORAL - echos from the ocean," INK BOX ART Gallery Cape Town (Curated by Johan Alberts) - **2024** - "Tides of Transformation," INK BOX ART Gallery Cape Town (Curated by Johan Alberts) ### Group Exhibitions - **2025** - "L.O.V.E. Layer of Vulnerable Emotions," INK BOX ART Gallery Cape Town (Curated by Johan Alberts) - **2024** - "Open Studios Kommetjie," Open Studios Kommetjie Cape Town - **2023** - "NEW & NOW," INK BOX ART Gallery Cape Town (Curated by Johan Alberts) - **2023** - "Into the Deep," Noordhoek Art Point Cape Town - **2023** - "INSPIRE," Welgemeend Cape Town (Curated by Margherita Introna) - **2023** - "Open Studios Kommetjie," Open Studios Kommetjie Cape Town - **2022** - "Open Studios Kommetjie," Open Studios Kommetjie Cape Town - **2021** - "Deep South Community Art Exhibition," Scarborough Cape Town (Curated by Margherita Introna) - **2020** - "Deep South Community Art Exhibition," Scarborough Cape Town (Curated by Margherita Introna) ### Collections - NinetyOne London, London, (Corporate) ### Gallery Representation - 156KLOOF, Cape Town, (Current) - INK BOX ART Gallery, Cape Town, (Current) - ManZArt Gallery, Cape Town, (Current) - Relevant Art Gallery & Studio, Cape Town, (Current) ### Professional Service - **2024 - Present** - Founder & Curator, Tiny Art Gallery Cape Town, Cape Town ## Portfolio ### Where the reef still dreams of colour (2026) *Beach Plastic* *800 x 1500mm - landscape* A bleached coral reef. --- ### Sushi (2026) *Beach Plastic* *140 x 140mm* Plastic Sushi is made from an assortment of beach plastics: nurdles, a shoe sole, aquatic plastic plants, melted plastic, condom rings (likely used by poachers to waterproof their phones), and other found items. --- ### Ignited Narratives (2026) *Beach Plastic/ lighters* *420 x 594mm* Beach found lighters, a phenomenon on its own! --- ### Mini coral reefs (2026) *Beach Plastic* *140 x 140mm* Mini reimagined coral reefs. --- ### False Bay Reef I & II (2026) *Beach Plastic* *210 x 297mm* Reimagined Cape Town False Bay reefs. --- ### Coral reef sculptures (2026) *Beach Plastic* *300mm tall* Beach plastic, fishing floats and driftwood. --- ### Seeing is Believing (2025) *Beach Plastic* *594 x 840mm* A composition created with unaltered beach found plastic. --- ### Coral Reef (2025) *Beach Plastic* *500mm diameter* A relief sculpture made entirely from beach found plastic and other unusual beach finds. --- ### 108 Tidal Treasures (2026) *Beach Plastic* *840 x 594mm - landscape* 108 plastic treasures found and collected on the beach in the high tidelines. --- ### On the Dunes (2025) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* Shards of beach found plastic stuck upright to form beautiful shadows. --- ### Ocean Mantra (2025) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* 108 beads collected during a single beach clean-up on Muizenberg Beach, all in one morning. --- ### Just One Bite (2025) *Beach Plastic* *140 x 140mm* Beach found take away tasting / ice cream spoons. --- ### Corals Adrift (2025) *Beach Plastic* *594 x 420mm* Reimagined coral reef --- ### Echo Chamber & The Colour Remains (2025) *Beach Plastic* *A3* The concept here was as though looking through the porthole of a yellow submarine. --- ### Delicasea & Tideline Tapas (2025) *Beach Plastic* *297 x 210mm* Beach-collected plastic cutlery transformed into intricate, plastic bite-sized food sculptures. --- ### Love in the Mist (2024) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* A labour of love! Plastic shards collected from local Cape Town beaches. A challenging piece, as I embraced the delicate balance of standing each shard on its thin edge. --- ### Coral Cadence (2024) *Beach Plastic* *1m diameter* A coral reef displaying the effects of bleaching impacted by global warming and climate change. --- ### Sea Serenade (2023) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* Beach plastic reimagined into a coral reef. --- ### What Dreams May Come (2023) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* All beach found plastic --- ### The Girl from the Sea (2023) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* Plastic plants, doll and lollipop sticks all found on the beach. --- ### On Thin Ice (2023) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* Beach Plastic --- ### The Butterfly Effect (2023) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* Unaltered beach plastic --- ### Bon Appetit Series (2023) *Beach Plastic* *210mm w x 297mm h* Beach plastic, reshaped into something that looks almost good enough to eat, plays on attraction and discomfort, beauty and toxicity held in the same moment. --- ### Reflections (2022) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* Unaltered beach found plastic --- ### Greenwashery (2022) *Beach Plastic* *300mm diameter* Unaltered beach found plastic. --- ### Black Fragments (2021) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* Unaltered beach found plastic. --- ### Coral Reef Bleaching (2021) *594 x 840mm* Created with unaltered BEACH PLASTICS used to illustrate and raise awareness around the coral reef bleaching phenomenon affected by GLOBAL WARMING. Coral reefs known as the rainforest of the sea are the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world. They are also amongst the most critically threatened and are at risk of extinction. Corals generate half of Earth's oxygen and absorb nearly one-third of the carbon dioxide generated from burning fossil fuels. With global warming, overfishing, and water pollution, the coral reefs are being severely compromised. Causing coral reef bleaching. Already, over 50% of the world's coral reefs have died in the last 30 years. --- ### Beachball (2021) *Beach Plastic* *200mm diameter* Unaltered beach found macroplastics --- ### Consumer City (2020) *Beach Plastic* *500mm diameter* Beach found plastic --- ### Where to draw the line (2020) *Beach Plastic* *420 x 594mm* Unaltered beach plastic ## Links - **instagram:** https://instagram.com/mishvania_art