We have all heard the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce the amount of waste you generate. Reuse the items which are still usable. Recycle materials by converting them into new materials and prevent waste.
We all try to apply the 3Rs in our houses as much as we can, right? After all, it’s our way of contributing to reducing energy usage and air and water pollution. It’s our way to feel better about ourselves and our beloved planet.
But we can’t deny some people are taking one step forward, no doubt. People are so creative and take the 3Rs not just as a method to save our planet but also as an opportunity to create something new, beautiful, and cool, indeed. This is the story of the Argentine sculptor who took all the pandemic waste and turned it into art. Wanna know his story?
The Coronavirus Art
There’s something we can all agree on the pandemic COVID-19 has produced a great amount of waste from masks or syringes, just to mention a few. But Marcelo Toledo, a 45-year-old Argentinian artist, saw this as an opportunity to create a new exhibition.
Marcelo is well-known in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, for covering the iconic Obelisk of the city with a 14-meter mask with the Argentinian flag to raise awareness and invite people to donate organs during the pandemic chaos. And this is how his exploration of coronavirus art began.
He started collecting recycling coronavirus waste, such as old vaccines, masks, newspapers about the pandemic, and other medical materials.
Pain Into Beauty
“I am excited to be able to transform pain into beauty and this exhibition is just that, capturing everything that is happening to us as a society”, said Marcelo in an interview with Reuters.
The idea of this exhibition is to create a memory of what happened around the world with COVID-19, what affected us all, and leave a “work for posterity”, as the artist claimed.
The exhibition was shown in a public space in September in downtown Buenos Aires. Marcelo’s idea is to take it to other cities around the world and show everybody what disposable materials or the wrong named garbage can do with a little creativity. While, of course, raising awareness of the importance of caring for the environment.
“It is the first time that I do an exhibition in which I do not have to buy any of the elements”, Marcelo said. Not bad, Marcelo. Keep up the good work. As Pablo Picasso once said: “Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life”.
