In November 2024, while G20 delegations met in Rio de Janeiro, C7 painted a whale.

The idea

At the Rio Ocean Forum on November 8, participants from government, academia, and civil society called for new forms of community engagement around ocean conservation. They pointed to art as a way to open conversation, and to Rio's surf and beach culture as part of its blue economy.Artist and C7 President Nathan Silver designed C7's G20 Whale Pop-up to include Rio G20's colorful graphic underneath a humpback whale; connecting the global movement for cooperation and coordination with the world's largest mammal -- two symbols together, forming its own inspired visual message.

 

The painting

The G20 Whale is a life-size humpback whale painted across 25 canvas panels, over the Oceans20 logo. A small group of volunteers hand-painted all 25 panels over 48 hours. 

Dedicated C7 volunteers hand-paint the G20 Whale in time to unveil for the close of the G20 Summit.

Ipanema, November 20

At sunset on November 20, on Ipanema Beach across from the G20 House, attendees unfolded the 25 panels and assembled the painting on the sand, working out the placement of each piece together. Sanca Azul, Projeto Basquete 3x3, and the crew of Voice of the Oceans took part. Voice of the Oceans shared the event with its approximately 141,000 followers.

The life-sized humpback whale painting is dwarfed by the majestic magnitude of Rio's iconic Ipanema Beach, during the closing ceremonies of Rio's G20 Summit.

São Conrado, November 30 – December 1

Ten days later, C7 and volunteers reassembled the whale in front of the main stage at the Brazilian Surf Championship in São Conrado, facing the ocean. C7, Route, and Salvemos São Conrado held a beach cleanup the same weekend and removed dozens of bags of waste from the beach and rocks.

More than 100 people took part on Saturday. CBSurfPLAY's YouTube broadcast of the championship, with the whale in view, reached more than 45,000 viewers. Águas do Rio shared a video featuring the whale with its approximately 128,000 followers.

The community assembled the G20 Whale together, along with partner organizations, showcasing the need for cooperation in our efforts towards a healthier ocean and a more sustainable urban future.

What it is for

The G20 Whale is built to be assembled by a group. No one can put it together alone. That is the point C7 set out to make during G20 week: urban sustainability is a shared task.

Marcelinho, Rocinha community hero, shares in the joy of C7's G20 Whale.