TORONTO -- Large amounts of plastic bags, bottles and other garbage is a common sight on Brazil's beaches. But one Brazilian artist is taking these pieces of trash to create his own take on some of the world's most renowned pieces of artwork.
Eduardo Srur has created replicas of master paintings from Picasso, Van Gogh and others. Not a single drop of paint is used. Rather, Srur uses nothing but bits of plastic garbage picked from polluted streets and rivers.
Some of these master paintings, such as the Mona Lisa, have been around for more than 500 years. Srur warns that the plastics we discard could take far longer than that to decompose.
"I make a prediction here that these works will remain for many years in the history of mankind, as well as the plastic that we inappropriately dispose of in nature," he told Reuters.
Srur's series, "Natureza Plásticaβ or "Plastic Nature," is set to go on display later this year. It's the latest of Srur's numerous artistic endeavours to raise awareness about Brazil's environmental issues.
Previously, he's created oversized inflatable jaguars, representing a beloved species in Brazil in danger of extinction.
Srur has also placed several giant public art installations around Sao Paulo of mannequins in kayaks on polluted rivers.
In another piece, Srur created a maze constructed out of solid waste, urging spectators to confront the mounds of garbage that society generates.
- With files from Reuters
