New Volkswagen Beetle Sculpture Added to Cancun’s Underwater Museum

**Cancun's New Beetle Reef
**Acclaimed artist and diver Jason deCaires Taylor recently added a new exhibit to the underwater art museum in Cancun: Anthropocene, a life-size, 8-ton cement replica of the classic Volkswagen beetle.
The VW sculpture is located in 26 feet of water near Manchones Reef off Isla Mujeres, Mexico, and it’s specially designed with numerous nooks and crannies to house marine life as an artificial reef. At the same time, like all of Taylor’s work, the new exhibit makes an artistic statement that explores the major impact humans and technology have had on our planet’s ecosystems both now and in future generations.
The VW beetle joins more than 400 other sculptures in Taylor’s underwater art museum in Cancun’s National Marine Park, all of which help relieve the pressure on the area’s natural reefs which have been over-fished, over-visited and damaged by storms. By diverting attention to artificial reefs, the natural reefs have a greater opportunity to regenerate, and hopefully the sculptures will also bring awareness to the ongoing destruction happening to the world’s coral reefs.
“By creating an artificial reef of sculptures, the ultimate aim of the project is to form a platform to promote the regeneration of marine life and to use sculpture as a means of conveying hope and environmental awareness,” says Taylor.

To learn more about Jason deCaires Taylor and his sculptures, visit www.underwatersculpture.com

For information on how to visit Cancun's Underwater Museum, click on the "Related Articles" below.