Image via Complex Original
These pieces of art are trash, but in a good way. Think about it—we are pretty liberal with the things we throw away, so why not recycle our waste into something useful, whenever possible? This list goes to show you that literally everything can be turned into something useful and cool. That six-pack you slugged back last weekend? It could be a metallic bird over night. That old keyboard you lost interest in playing? It could be a mosaic of Tupac.
This is what we call creative ingenuity, and we decided to celebrate it with this list of The 25 Best Artworks Made From Trash. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure.
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25. Recycled Orchestra
25. Recycled Orchestra by Nicolas Gomez / Favio Chavez, 2013
Medium: Everything
A garbage picker named Nicolas Gomez brought a piece of trash that resembled a violin to musician Favio Chavez and started what is known as the Landfill Harmonic. Cateura, Paraguay is one of the poorest towns in South America, and it is there that they are trying to build a set of instruments from garbage in order to start a children's orchestra. Look out for the documentary called Landfill Harmonic coming soon.
24. Doors
24. Doors by Choi Jeong-Hwa, 2009
Medium: Wooden door installation
This project was created in Seoul, South Korea in 2009. Artist Choi Jeong-Hwa used over 1,000 old doors to erect this ten-story installation.
23. Cloud
23. Cloud by Caitlind r.c. Brown, 2012
Medium: Lightbulb installation
Although this installation contains a few working lightbulbs, it is created from mostly burnt out, discarded ones to produce a pretty awesome cloud figure. The installation also allows people to pull strings, which can make the cloud flicker.
22. Bottle Cap Mosaic
22. Bottle Cap Mosiac by El Anatsui, 2013
Medium: Bottle cap installation
Nigeria-based artist, El Anatsui, creates fascinating tapestries by hammering out metallic bottle caps and binding them together to form a large piece of art.
21. Button Portraits
21. Button Portraits by Zac Freeman, 2013
Medium: Buttons, dice, legos, and bread clips collage
American artist Zac Freeman created these stunningly realistic portraits using little plastic bits like bottle caps and buttons. He glued them onto a wooden canvas and sorted them by color, ultimately creating recognizable faces.
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20. Beer Canimals
20. Beer Canimals by Macaon, 2012
Medium: Aluminum can sculpture
Japanese artist and avid beer drinker, Macaon, decided to put a couple back and design some cool shit. These awesome animal beer can sculptures are the result of a drinking habit and a creative mind. If you find yourself possessing both of those things, the sky is really the limit.
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19. Animal Sculptures
19. Animal Sculptures by Sayaka Ganz, 2012
Medium: Plastic forks, spoons, springs, and recycled plastic sculpture
Ganz uses household objects as the basis of her work. She cites her belief in the Japanese Shinto as a major influence on her art, which claims that all objects have deep spirits and weep inside the trash bin at their lack of use. Whatever motivates you, right?
18. Keyboard Portraits
18. Keyboard Portraits by Work by Knight, 2012
Medium: Keyboards
Work by Knight uses keys from recycled keyboards to make mosaic-like portraits, including ones of Dr. Dre, Tupac, and Jay-Z. Because honestly, what else are you supposed to do when you give up on your piano ballad meets rap career?
17. Metro Card Mosiacs
17. Metro Card Mosiacs by Nina Boesch, 2012
Medium: Metro card collage
German artist Nina Boesch created a stunning series of mosiacs made from recycled metro cards. Her work features legendary New York landmarks like the above photo of Yankee Stadium.
16. Honey Boo Boo
16. Honey Boo Boo by Jason Mercier, 2012
Medium: Soda cans, chicken nuggets, pigs feet, cardboard boxes, eyelashes, and cheese ball collage
Primarily known for his mosaics, artist Jason Mercier created this portrait of reality television star Honey Boo Boo using a bunch of trash cartons from different objects. His comment is pretty obvious, making us think he'd rather do many things than watch her television show...like make trash art out of her, to start.
15. MilkyWave
15. MilkyWave by Aidia Studio, 2012
Medium: Yogurt can light installation
Created by Aidia Studios for the 2012 Bejing Design festival, this light installation uses over 1,000 empty yogurt cans to make something wonderful and beautiful known as the MilkyWave.
14. Trash Orcas
14. Trash Orcas by Unknown, 2011
Medium: Garbage bag sculpture
These trash wales were seen diving through dumpsters in 2011. They're made from trash bags and paper, making us feel very desperate to know who the artist is. Speak up!
13. Can Cushion
13. Can Cushion by BRC Design, 2012
Medium: Soda can furniture
Design firm BRC Design uses recycled soda cans to make furniture. We can't imagine this would be too comfortable, but at least it would look cool.
12. Catch & Release
12. Catch and Release by Johnston Foster, 2010
Medium: Bicycle spokes, PVC, marbles, and kiddie pool sculpture
This tiger is part of Johnston Foster's exhibit "Catch & Release," which was featured at New York's RARE gallery in 2010 and showcased a multitude of recycled materials.
11. Bleacher Trash
11. Bleacher Trash by Matthew Yake, 2012
Medium: Photography
Photographer Matthew Yake photographs trash he found around school bleachers in a simple but beautiful way.
10. The Hulk
10. The Hulk by Jeff Ballard, 2012
Medium: Cardboard boxes installation
Jeff Ballard created a couple of superhero portraits out of old boxes of mac & cheese. This one is of the Hulk; others include Captain America and The Thing from Fantastic Four.
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9. Cow Car
9. Cow Car by Miina Äkkijyrkkä, 2011
Medium: Used car parts sculpture
Artis Miina Äkkijyrkkä has been working with cows for over fifty years. She created these giant cow sculptures from used car parts and put them all over a farm in Finland. Just so you know, they don't make milk.
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8. Trash Sculptures
8. Trash Sculptures by Evan Robarts, 2012
Medium: Mops, Brooms, Pianos, Chairs, and TVs sculpture
Brooklyn-based sculptor Evan Robarts creates absolutely stunning sculptures out of a lot of "junk." He's another artist improving the way we see the objects around us.
7. Trash Miniatures
7. Trash Miniatures by Kim Alsbrooks, 2012
Medium: Cups and cans sculpture
Kim Alsbrooks started her series "White Trash" while living in the South. These crushed cans painted with portraits are an attempt at social commentary on class distinction.
6. Scrap Metal Animals
6. Scrap Metal Animals by Vik Muniz, 2013
Medium: Scrap metal sculpture
Vik Muniz is famous for creating art out of trash, and this is a series of animals he created from scrap metal. The pieces were recently displayed in an exhibition at the Armory in New York.
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5. Litterbugs
5. Litterbugs by Mark Oliver, 2012
Medium: Books, clocks, and eyeglasses sculpture
Litterbugs is a series of insects created from trash such as old clocks, books, and other household items that Mark Oliver took from his garage. These are pretty neat, especially if you're into insects.
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4. Microcosmic Park
4. Microcosmic Park by Gregory Euclide, 2012
Medium: Plastic bottles, sponges, and paper installation
Artist Gregory Euclide made Microcosmic World Park out of trash he found in Central Park. It resembles an amusement park in nature, making a casual viewer unaware that it was made out of trash.
3. Angel
3. Angel by Khalil Chishtee, 2012
Medium: Trash bags, grocery bags, and plastic sheet sculpture
This piece was created by artist Khalil Chishtree and is made from trash bags, grocery bags, and plastic sheets, which she wove together to create the silhouette of an angel.
2. Bird's Nest
2. Bird's Nest by Him Hollerman, 2013
Medium: Caution tape installation
Artist Kim Hollerman created a bird's nest made from multicolored strands of caution tape, which recently premiered at the NY Studio Gallery as part of their TRASH exhibit.
1. Bag Beehive
1. Bag Beehive by Pascale Marthine Tayou, 2013
Medium: Plastic bag installation
Pascale Marthine Tayou, an artist from Cameroon, is well-known for reusing everyday objects. He created this large installation from plastic bags, which debuted at Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome earlier this year.