Abandoned mattresses, worn-out tires, bumpers, and crumpled cans: in the hands of certain artists, urban waste is transformed into works of art. This movement deeply challenges our relationship with consumption, public space, and what we choose to ignore. To understand the impact of recycling on urban art, here are three artists who useupcycling as their raw material.
Summary
The Art of Repurposing: Artist Lor-K’s Urban “Recipes”
French artist Lor-K NAU collects mattresses abandoned on sidewalks and transforms them into surprisingly realistic sculptures of fast-food dishes: pizzas, paninis, and kebabs. Using simple tools (saws, utility knives, paint), she repurposes this bulky waste into familiar, recycled objects, creating a contrast that is as funny as it is unsettling. Her work invites us to see what the city discards in a new light and to question what our society produces and discards en masse. Waste thus truly becomes art on the street.
Bordalo II: Giant Animals Born from Our Trash
Portuguese artist Bordalo II creates 3D works using plastic waste: suitcases, motorcycle helmets, doors, and tires. He collects and gathers waste from his surroundings, cuts it up, paints it if necessary, and assembles it into giant animals. His approach is radical: he aims to recreate animals using the very materials that are killing them. His approximately 130 pieces from the“Big Trash Animals” series, located in 23 countries, represent about 42 metric tons of reused plastic waste. Notably, a beaver made of car bumpers once stood on a building facade in Paris’s 13th arrondissement.
Ememem: Mosaics to Heal Cities
Ememem, known for his “flacks” or “wild street bandages,” uses recycled materials sourced from ceramic collections, factory waste, or donations to create colorful mosaics that conform to the surface of the ground. Where the asphalt cracks and the sidewalks crumble, he steps in with his salvaged fragments to “heal” the city. It’s an approach that’s as poetic as it is socially conscious, transforming waste into healing.
Waste as a Resource: Rethinking Our Urban Impact
These three artists share a common conviction: waste is not an end in itself; it is a starting point. By reinventing discarded objects, they invite everyone to rethink their relationship with resources and public space. For before it is an artistic raw material, waste is first and foremost a reflection of how something is used—and of our collective responsibility.
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