This year’s EU Green Week (3–5 June, Brussels) puts the spotlight on the circular economy as a driver of sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness – and the European Circular Online Museum (EUCOM) is proud to be part of this important conversation.
We are joining the event with a strong focus on sustainability in the arts, participating through the exhibition of three of our artists on-site, while six additional EUCOM artists will be featured in a photo exhibition, showcasing images of their upcycled creations.
The EUCOM project addresses the challenges faced by small-scale independent upcycling artists, designers, and craftspeople who promote circular lifestyles and environmental awareness. We are proud to bring this vital topic to the EU Green Week, supporting and amplifying our artists’ work within the growing European circular economy movement and introducing them to valuable networks across the EU.
Exhibition for EU Green Week 2025
The European Circular Online Museum (EUCOM) is proud to participate in this year’s EU Green Week, which spotlights the circular economy as a driver of sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness. Our contribution brings forward the often overlooked but vital perspectives of small-scale independent artists, designers, and craftspeople who are shaping more circular lifestyles through creative reuse, upcycling, and ecological material practices.
At the core of EUCOM lies a commitment to environmental awareness through cultural production. With this exhibition, we highlight three on-site installations by artists Rodney LaTourelle, Jan-Micha Gamer, and Tanja Haramincic, alongside a photo presentation featuring six additional EUCOM artists: Nadja Monet, Ercan Arslan, Victoria DeBlassie, Manolo Benvenuti, Kata Keresztely and Pierre Kucoyanis and their innovative upcycled creations. This exhibition not only amplifies artistic voices working within the European circular economy movement but also serves as a platform for cross-sectoral exchange and visibility across EU networks.
Our Artists
Nadja Monnet_
Her professional background is rooted in woodworking, having completed an apprenticeship as a harpsichord maker. After raising my four children, she transitioned from craftsmanship to art and pursued studies in sculpture. In her artistic practice, she often uses trivial materials, sometimes even waste. My starting point is always fascination or curiosity. Throughout the creative process, she focuses on a particular phenomenon and applies mostly traditional, yet unconventional, techniques. She is interested in operose working processes, as they offer her a broad field of exploration. She is also attracted by structures and order, enjoying the process of standardization and then discovering deviations within, revealing variety and diversity.
Ercan Arslan_
lives and works in Berlin and Istanbul. In the 1990’s he studied fine arts in London. Since then he has co-edited several literature and art magazines and participates in (inter)national solo- and group exhibitions, as well as art performances. He has published 2 books together with Ferit Edgü and Lale Müldür. His works can be found in public as well as private collections. Every year he spends a two-month period in a remote Anatolian mountain village where he is intensively involved with land-art and sculpturing.
// www.ercanarslan.de _IG: @ercanars
Jan-Micha Gamer_
is a Berlin-based artist and designer passionate about sustainability and circularity. His work turns everyday materials into art, exploring their origins and roles in our globalized world. From sculptures to functional design, he creates pieces that make something new without exploiting natural resources—transforming waste into value. He holds a BA in Product Design from HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd and an MA in Social Design from Design Academy Eindhoven. Beyond art, he collaborates with companies on closing material loops and teach about sustainability, upcycling, and the circular economy.
// www.jan-michagamer.de _IG: @janmichagamer
Rodney LaTourelle_
is a Canadian artist, designer, and educator whose interdisciplinary work blends sustainable design, architecture, and installation art. With degrees in Environmental Design and Landscape Architecture, his practice is rooted in the creative repurposing of materials and the transformation of spatial environments. He creates immersive, participatory environments that center on recycling, circular design principles, and ecological aesthetics. In collaboration with Danish designer Louise, they challenge the boundaries of space and material by turning infrastructure into expressive, climate-conscious interventions.
// _IG: @witthoeft.latourelle
Pierre Kucoyanis_
graduated from both the Beaux-Arts de Paris and the University of Fine Arts Paris VIII. Upcycling is at the core of his creative process, as he believes in giving new life to old materials, finding beauty and meaning in what others might overlook. He transforms discarded objects into playful creations that evoke the charm of 1950s science fiction. These pieces pay tribute to post-war industrial design. Upcycling allows him to engage with the history of these objects, respecting their original purpose while reimagining them in new, unexpected forms. In addition to painting, he’s the creator of Motor-lights, unique lamps inspired by his love for motorcycles and jazz. His work is a celebration of creativity and invention, blending nostalgia with joyful improvisation.
Kata Keresztely_
graduated from both the Beaux-Arts de Paris and the University of Fine Arts Paris VIII. Upcycling is at the core of his creative process, as he believes in giving new life to old materials, finding beauty and meaning in what others might overlook. He transforms discarded objects into playful creations that evoke the charm of 1950s science fiction. These pieces pay tribute to post-war industrial design. Upcycling allows him to engage with the history of these objects, respecting their original purpose while reimagining them in new, unexpected forms. In addition to painting, he’s the creator of Motor-lights, unique lamps inspired by his love for motorcycles and jazz. His work is a celebration of creativity and invention, blending nostalgia with joyful improvisation.
Victoria DeBlassie_
Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA) she received her BFA from the University of New Mexico in 2009 and her MFA at the California College of the Arts in 2011. She has participated in numerous residencies and international exhibitions, including her most recent solo show “Cascading Citrus” at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. As an artist, she recontextualizes discarded and quotidian materials to create art that suggests the excessiveness of material culture as well as change and development over time. Because pieces of contemporary culture decrease in value, it is vital to accentuate the cultural and ecological value of the handmade and creative reuse of materials to demand innovation for social change.
Manolo Benvenuti_
graduated in architecture in Florence. As a self-taught artist, he learned the practice of upcling by creating diverse works: sculptures, installations, set designs, and environmental art. He uses all kinds of materials, with a preference for discarded ones, constantly exploring their expressive potential. He often involves people in the creation of his works, with particular attention to children. He has dedicated some projects to them, making them protagonists through multidisciplinary methods. For him, the artwork is as important as the creative process and the constructive action that leads to its completion. There are three aspects that he aim to unite and that constantly shape his path: creativity, participation, and sustainability.
Tanja Haramincic_
is a Croatian ceramic artist and architect based in Milan, Italy. After eight years in architecture and interior design, she founded Claytical Ceramics in 2021 to tell playful stories through clay. In 2023, she opened Conca Lab, a community studio in Milan aimed at bringing locals and creatives together through ceramic workshops and events. Her work explores different techniques with a focus on circularity and upcycling, repurposing ceramic waste into functional and artistic pieces. She’s inspired by local materials and glaze chemistry, creating works that reflect transformation and sustainability, blending art, environmental, and cultural awareness
// _IG: @claytical_ceramics
About the Curators
Dr. Krisztina Keresztely is an urban geographer and sociologist with extensive experience in academic research, local and regional policy consulting, teaching, and training. Her work focuses on sustainable cultural and social inclusion in urban and peri-urban contexts. She holds a PhD in urban geography from the École Normale Supérieure in France. At CRN, she serves as a senior project manager, contributing to multiple areas of the NGO’s work, including the EUCOM project.
Anja Söyünmez is a multidisciplinary scholar and art producer who also maintains an artistic practice. Her work moves between academic inquiry and cultural production, with a focus on postcolonial and decolonial perspectives, territoriality and affect. She is currently involved with the 13th Berlin Biennale and manages art and culture projects at Comparative Research Network, including the EUCOM project.