If you don’t know and admire Duke Riley’s work well, you must be all at sea. No offense. The talented and profoundly passionate Brooklyn-based artist dives deep to create conversational pieces that tell a tale of both regional pollution and global marine devastation to connect the past, present, and future…all from materials collected from beaches in the northeastern United States. While the topic is certainly serious, the genius behind Duke’s art is that he reveals reality in a fashion that’s fresh, playful, and thoughtful. And, once you cast eyes on it all — we’re talking handmade, contemporary interpretations of scrimshaw, fishing lures, sailor’s valentines, and more — you can’t help but be hooked. Trust us!

Since Flavor Paper is all about championing local artists and organizations, and we’re massive fans of Duke, we jumped at the opportunity to partner with him on two wallpapers for this DEATH TO THE LIVING, Long Live Trash exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, now on view through April 23, 2023. Titled “Tidal Fool” and “Wall Bait,” both offer a full-on sensational sea of discovery vibe with captivating (and occasionally saucy) content culled from his masterpieces. They’re immersive, introspective, and available for purchase so you, too, can wash spaces with amusing and alluring flavor. Aside from experiencing the magic of the paper live, we highly rec you check out the dynamic and brilliantly curated show, which includes an impressive breadth of Duke’s art alongside his new short films that highlight New York community members working to remediate plastic damage and restore our waterways. For real people, let’s all make a genuine effort to clean up our acts, ok?! Cheers to all involved; we’re thrilled and honored to be in the mix!