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‘Toxic Beauty;’ Mississippi Aquarium exhibit makes masterpieces out of pollutants

Happening 'til September 7: Toxic Beauty at Mississippi Aquarium (wlox)
By Hugh Keeton

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) — The Mississippi Aquarium is displaying an exhibit made entirely from plastic trash collected on Gulf Coast beaches, including Mardi Gras beads transformed into sculptures of sea turtles.

The Mississippi Aquarium is displaying an exhibit made entirely from plastic trash collected on Gulf Coast beaches, including Mardi Gras beads transformed into sculptures of sea turtles.

The exhibit, titled Toxic Beauty, Plastic’s Hidden Cost, was organized in part by Dr. Kristina Mojica of the University of Southern Mississippi. It runs through September 9, 2026.

The exhibit, titled Toxic Beauty, Plastic’s Hidden Cost, was organized in part by Dr. Kristina Mojica of the University of Southern Mississippi. (wlox)

Mojica collaborated with the Mississippi State Beach Cleanup Crew on the project. Over the past year and a half, the group collected more than 3,000 pounds of trash across seven beach cleanups along the Gulf Coast.

The collected plastic was washed, disinfected and redistributed to local artists and schools, who volunteered to transform the materials into works of art. The Mississippi Aquarium agreed to display the pieces throughout the summer of 2026.

Mojica collaborated with the Mississippi State Beach Cleanup Crew on the project.

Rachel Lancaster, a PhD student at the University of Southern Mississippi, helped organize and assemble the exhibit.

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Lancaster said one of her own contributions to the exhibit drew on her interest in video games. She recreated the Pac-Man maze and characters using beach-collected materials, renaming the main character “Pac-Fish” and depicting it chasing Mardi Gras beads.

Rachel Lancaster, a PhD student at the University of Southern Mississippi, helped organize and assemble the exhibit. (wlox)

Each ghost character in the piece represents a specific type of plastic commonly found in the ocean, including plastic bags, straws and pans.

“I wanted to create something that could relate to multiple generations of people out in the Gulf Coast,” Lancaster said.

Each ghost character in the piece represents a specific type of plastic commonly found in the ocean, including plastic bags, straws and pans.

The exhibit also serves as a research platform. Mojica said the team is studying whether art-based displays can shift visitors’ perceptions of environmental problems and their willingness to be part of the solution.

Mojica said most plastic pollution in the environment is invisible to the naked eye because plastics continuously break down into smaller pieces. She said that microscopic plastic may pose the greatest risk to both human health and the broader ecosystem.

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The exhibit also serves as a research platform. Mojica said the team is studying whether art-based displays can shift visitors’ perceptions of environmental problems and their willingness to be part of the solution.

The Mississippi Aquarium is hosting a community beach cleanup on August 29 from 8 to 10 a.m. at Jones Park Beach. The event is open to the public.

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