Dive Brief:
- Bernard Pras, a French artist, uses waste materials to create reproductions of renown art and portraits of notable figures.
- Pra initially starting out as a painter, but later began experimenting with sculpture, eventually leading to reimagining pieces of trash as masterpieces.
- The artists uses bottles, canisters, wood, even toilet paper to create intricate details; some trash mimics the lines of a face or a fold in a piece of clothing.
Dive Insight:
Pras uses an illusion to create his sculptures. Each piece must be viewed from a specific location through a lens which sits in a fixed location. While some may not see these installations as “art,” art is in the eye of the beholder: Check out an overview of Pras’ work to decide for yourself. As many artists turn their work into environmental commentary, more pieces could be cropping up at galleries as a creative reaction to the increasing piles of waste, prompting elevated concern and media scrutiny around the globe.