Zero-Waste Art

Making art is a creative process that everyone has a different approach to. Whether that be brushing acrylic onto a canvas or moulding clay into a sculpture, the artist always requires materials to create. For eco-minded individuals looking to create or buy art, bringing new items into an already crowded world feels problematic. This is why zero-waste art is so innovative, the process of creating art from recycled materials or waste products. 

A zero-waste artist places more thought into where the materials have come from. Instead of popping down to the closest arts and crafts shop and returning home arms full, the artist looks past what already exists to see how pre-existing items can be adapted. We are particularly interested in art created from old garments, given that millions of clothing items are tossed into the landfill every year.

Some of our favourite zero-waste artists creating work from old clothes are:

• Guerra De La Paz:

Guerra de la Paz is an artistic collective, formed by Alain Guerra and Neraldo de la Paz. The themes of mass consumption and transformation are explored through their extraordinary displays. The duo has the ability to take garments, deemed as “useless” and “old”, and turn them into something that grabs your attention immediately.

Noah Scalin:

Noah creates portraits using old clothes that have been carefully laid out on the ground. Behind the artwork rests hundreds of untold stories about the garments: who made them, who wore them and more.

• Suzie Blake:

Suzie’s “Blood Mountain” used 3,000 kilograms of clothes to re-create a landfill. With some garments containing feminist slogans, such as “the future is female,” the piece is a unique take on mistreatment of garment workers across the globe.