Andrea Villa and Acqua Foundation launch Last Breath project against mask pollution

Acqua Foundation, in collaboration with street artist Andrea Villa, has launched the Last Breath project to address environmental damage caused by improper disposal of surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 16, Villa installed three panels of 'The Breath' fabric on a historic building in Turin owned by lawyer and collector Filippo Mollea Ceirano. The fabric, produced in Italy, absorbs air pollution and has zero environmental impact. The project is supported by WWF Italia, Greenpeace Italia, Fridays 4 Future, and Extinction Rebellion. Villa highlighted that ISPRA estimated 160,000 to 440,000 tons of anti-COVID devices would need treatment as undifferentiated waste in 2020, and that if just 1% of monthly masks were improperly disposed, 10 million masks would be dispersed monthly. He noted that biodegradable bioplastic masks exist but are not produced due to cost. Acqua Foundation, a philanthropic association focused on water preservation, previously participated in Manifesta in Palermo with a site-specific project by Michael Wang and in a collateral program at the Venice Biennale with artist Andreco, who created recyclable cardboard artist water bottles to combat plastic use.