Gleaning for Plastics by Rox De Luca

Gleaning for plastics, from Bondi Beach to the City of Sydney is an installation of garlands made from reclaimed ocean plastics, industrial plastics and wire over the past 2 years.

These works are created from plastics gleaned predominantly from Rox De Luca’s local beaches – Bondi and Rose Bay Beach. She brings these collected plastic materials home to clean and categorise by size, colour and shape. Using a jewellery-like process of drilling a hole into each piece, the materials are then threaded onto wire to construct sculptural garlands.

Many of the items will be familiar — ocean toys, kitchen utensils, building materials, fragments and fully intact objects — often in bold colours. Single-use items are present too, including ubiquitous soy sauce fish bottles and tops.

The resulting works are reflections of the coastal place where she lives and present a snapshot of the proliferation of plastics we as a human race continue to use and discard in overwhelming quantities. Through these artworks Rox hopes to provoke deeper reflection and conversation about the complicated relationship we have with plastic; encouraging us to consider how this serious and escalating problem might be addressed.

With special thanks to Paul Allatson, Pablo Grover, Randwick Council (Barrett Studio), Banish, Helen Callas fellow gleaner extraordinaire, Tread Kindly, Nicole Ellis, and many others.

About the Artist 

Rox De Luca is based in Sydney, Gadigal Land, New South Wales, Australia and has exhibited in solo and group shows since the 1990s. Previous exhibitions include: Recirculate, McGlade Gallery at the Australian Catholic University; Colour is Enough, at Arts Project Australia; Beauty runs the Gauntlet at Bondi Pavilion Gallery; and _Plastic—Unwrapping the World_at Wagga Wagga Gallery.

She was a finalist in The Deakin University Small Sculpture Award in 2018, the 2024 Fisher’s Ghost Art Award and the 2021 Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Prize.

The artist has also collaborated with the Sydney Art Quartet, Social Good Summit, and Plastic-free Kandos. Being the inaugural Artist in Residence with Orlebar Brown in 2024 was a significant achievement and led to a major commission in their Martin Place store in Sydney.

De Luca has been awarded studio residencies including the Barrett Street, Woollahra Redleaf and Waverley Artists’ Studios. These have provided opportunities to connect with peers, to activate public spaces and to hone her critical engagement with diverse audiences.

About the Space

you're okay by Brand X is an art activation space in the foyer and front window of the City of Sydney Creative Studios.

you're okay has two spaces:

• Front Window: As you walk along Bathurst Street, peer into the City of Sydney Creative Studios' front window to view video, digital, performance and installation artworks. 

• Ground Floor: Located in the OK COOL cafe foyer, showcasing installation, site-responsive art and sculptures, textiles, and photography. Open Monday to Friday during cafe hours: 7am – 3pm.

Installation view, Common Ground at Bondi Pavilion, 2025. Photography by Silversalt.

This project is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and City of Sydney Creative Studios.