The artists building resilience through creativity at COP28

Rohan Chakravarty, notorious for rolling up into a ball like a pangolin to avoid meeting people, is a cartoonist, illustrator and the creator of Green Humour, a series of cartoons, comics and illustrations on wildlife and nature conservation. Cartoons from Green Humour appear periodically in newspaper columns, magazines and journals. Illustrations from Green Humour have been used for several projects and campaigns on wildlife awareness and climate change. Rohan is also the author of seven books and has won awards by UNDP, Sanctuary Asia, WWF International, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Bangalore Literature Festival for his work.

Nayla Pariamachi is a self-taught 20-year-old Peruvian visual artist captivated by the essence of her country’s culture. With a vibrant blend of canvas, oil, acrylic painting, watercolors, and murals, she infuses her creations with the energy of community and traditions. Her focus on native potatoes as symbols of resilience resonates in various projects. She has been selected for various mural festivals and encounters in Lima and directed a collaborative art activity in Brussels which was presented to the European Commissioner for International Partnerships. She is also a youth culture activist and the founder of Art Changemakers, driving cultural and educational initiatives across Latin America, and a communitarian mural project in Lima.

Sayan Mukherjee is a muralist, character designer, lifestyle and story illustrator born and raised in India. After spending several years working within the advertising world, Sayan went into his solo career pursuing his passion for illustration and storytelling. Using bold and vibrant colours, Sayan creates vivid images that capture the movement of life that so inspires him.

Joshua Steib is a 20-year-old climate advocate and artivist from Germany. As the German UN Youth Delegate for PreCOP26, he was involved in writing the Global Youth Position Paper for the conference. Representing young voices at UN summits like COP26, COP27, Stockholm+50, he amplified youth voices and the need for urgent climate action. He worked as Europe’s UNICEF Youth Foresight Fellow to implement a youth-led trend analysis for the UNICEF Global Outlook Report on Children and reported for the European Commission as an EU Influencer. As a pianist, he combines music, poetry and activism and has performed internationally. He currently studies climate politics with a full merit scholarship at Harvard University.

Nelmo Newsong, an accomplished reggae and dancehall artist from Kenya, is a passionate advocate for social change and environmental sustainability. His music blends reggae, dancehall, and afro pop, using melodic rhythms and evocative lyrics to address critical issues. Nelmo’s songs resonate with themes of poverty, inequality, political corruption, and climate change, inspiring unity and hope. In addition to his musical prowess, Nelmo has been an influential voice during the COVID-19 pandemic. His music served as a beacon of hope and education, spreading crucial information about the virus and inspiring resilience during challenging times.

Stéphanie Heckman is a graphic recorder and visual facilitator, Dutch originally now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She translates collective conversations around complex subject matter into visual summaries that distil the essence of both content and undercurrent. These visual summaries are a live collective tool to make sense, become a tangible memory aide after the event, and help to onboard those not present at the event. Having worked with many organisations internationally, from local community groups to the UN Climate Secretariat, she prioritises collaborations with those working for progress on climate action, peace & reconciliation and leadership development. This COP28 she will be leading a team of 8 graphic recorders to provide visual summaries for the Virtual Resilience Hub.

Jess is an Indian-British Australian, artist, communications professional and environmental campaigner living on Gadigal land in Sydney, Australia. Initially training as a lawyer, Jess has worked on shark conservation at Humane Society International, on environmental law projects, and most recently on climate change communication. Jess is passionate about climate justice and uses her art to drive people to take action on climate campaigns. Her koala drawings were widely shared during the 2019 Australian bushfire crisis. Jess has done graphic recordings, comics and illustrations for many Australian organisations working to drive Australia’s transition away from fossil fuels. She has had her work featured by the BBC, ABC and in the Guardian.

Sahar Saki is an award-winning international artist and designer from Iran, based in Cardiff. She has been awarded by UNESCO, business Wales, and the Art Council of Wales. She has worked with different organizations and community centres such as Welsh National Opera, Sherman Theatre, arcade Cardiff, Cardiff Council, Radio platform, Cardiff Market, and her works have been shown in different galleries around Wales such as The Mission Gallery. Sahar uses text, calligraphy, and bold vibrant colors in her designs and is inspired by cultural and old patterns while she is transforming them in contemporary visual language. Protest art is also a very important aspect in her work as she believes that art is a powerful tool to make changes. Sahar has been representing her works in the form of mural art in the past couple of years in public places. In 2020, she ran a mural festival to amplify the feminist movement in Iran.