Art Exhibition Uses Coral Bleaching to Spotlight Caribbean Reef Crisis

Cancún, Quintana Roo — An art exhibition in Quintana Roo is using metal pieces, drawings, video installations, underwater photography and sound works to explain how warming seas are damaging the Caribbean’s coral reefs.

The show, titled Zooxantela, aims to raise awareness about the effect of rising ocean temperatures on corals and on the ecosystems that depend on them.

Zooxanthellae are microscopic algae that live inside coral tissue. Through photosynthesis they supply the coral with much of its energy and give it its color. When water heats up, corals expel the algae and lose their color, a process known as bleaching. It does not always kill the coral, but it weakens it, and prolonged high temperatures can be fatal.

Reef decline affects marine species as well as coastal industries such as fishing and tourism. According to Conabio, Mexico’s biodiversity agency, the coral reefs of Quintana Roo stretch for roughly 650 kilometers.

A region under sustained stress

The wider picture is grim. The years 2023 to 2025 were recorded as the longest and most severe period of heat stress documented in the Mesoamerican Reef System. According to the system’s restoration network, about 40 percent of corals were affected.

The 2024 Mesoamerican Reef Health Report, which examined 286 sites, found 39 percent in poor condition and 23 percent in critical condition. Live coral cover fell from 19 percent to 17 percent.

The exhibition is open until November 22, from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday.