Recycled art: creativity that changes our world

An art object can be arbitrarily meaningless, not aesthetic, strange, but at the same time, creative and unusual. The artist's fantasy and mastery make it possible to create art objects using a variety of materials: glass, clay, paper, wood, metal, and even rubbish. The purpose of the artist when creating an art object is always the desire to cause certain emotions in the viewer, filling the boring and dull environment with a breath of true art.

Nowadays, a relatively new trend is gaining more popularity in modern art – recycled art, which is based on the transformation of old, used items of everyday life into new art objects. Recycled art is an "alternative art", a protest against patterns and rules. From the point of view of preserving the environment, it is similar to eco-art.


Modern society is accustomed to consumption, not realizing that the resources of the planet are not infinite. A lot of household items are disposed of. However, these things can serve further if they are be used in creating new art objects.


Recycled art aims at reducing the negative impact of various types of waste on the environment, and therefore it can be viewed as a global environmental movement. Its main principles are the saving of natural resources and maximal economy of materials. It seeks the reduction of excess quantity of products, material and technology revision, as well as changes in consumer requirements.


Recycled art, like eco-art, is also concerned about the complete elimination of the detrimental environmental impact of household waste. It is seriously considering the utilization of alternative resources and energy and the maximum cost savings.


The objectives of recycled art are the improvement of the existing ecological situation, review of materials and technologies in terms of environmental norms and purposeful change in the values ​​of the society by means of artistic images of design objects.


The entertainment and symbolic significance invested by the authors are essential components of the success of virtually any contemporary art project. However, the works of recycled art also feature a subtle artistic flair, thanks to which these works are a response to the problems of the modern day, and express an actual and understandable idea with accessible means.


Recycled art projects are numerous. Recycling garbage into art objects helps to save natural resources, as well as significantly reduces the degree of pollution of the environment. The creativity of the recycled artists shows a reaction to the global problems of urban civilization.


For example, the creativity of the Brazilian artist V. Muniz is concentrated directly on the problem of the constant growth of landfills. He is often called an ecologist and a person who is struggling with traditional prejudices. The use of non-standard materials in his works attracted much attention of the society to V. Muniz’s activity. Derek Gores from Florida creates his masterpieces with shredded paper and magazines, the British couple Tim Noble and Sue Webster make shadow sculptures from recycled objects and trash, while Belgian artist Wim Delvoye uses steal scraps and tires to produce his pieces of art.


Khalil Chishtee from Pakistan creates sculptures out of recycled plastic bags. Brilliant representatives of recycled art can be found in every corner of the world, and their list is steadily growing.


Recycled art is a promising area of contemporary art and can be considered as a means of solving environmental pollution problems and environmental education of society.

“There is no such thing as "away". When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.” Annie Leonard

Check out the recycled art showcase on the PV Art Portal