Divert, transform, reinvent…
At Ecomaison, we also believe that every resource has the potential to be transformed into an original creation. Here are three inspired and inspiring artists who showcase recycling in their art .
Since the end of the 1960s, committed artists have been defying our reference points by giving a second life to discarded materials. The Arte Povera movement, born in Italy around 1967, favored "poor" materials - wood, scrap metal, rags - to question consumer society.
At the same time, Land Art in the United States brought art to the heart of nature, sculpting the landscape with stones, earth, or water, to reconcile humans and their environment. Even today, around the world, committed creators fashion works from waste, discards, and fragments—to create beauty, meaning, and impact. Their art challenges, awakens, and inspires: it invites us to see the hidden potential in what we thought was useless.
What if the circular economy was also about imagination?
1- Thomas Dambo - The sculptor of recycled giants
With this Danish artist, waste comes to life.
He creates large trolls in reclaimed wood, hidden in nature to raise awareness.
Pallets, scraps, abandoned materials... everything is reused.
Each sculpture is made from 100% reclaimed wood, shaped locally with volunteers.
"Every piece of wood I use has a story. My work is an invitation to see the beauty in what we consider garbage."
Thomas Dambo
2- Bordalo II - The plastic street artist
With his "Trash Animals", Bordalo II transforms our garbage into monumental works of art. This Portuguese street artist sculpts distressed animals from plastics, metals and discarded objects, denouncing the impact of pollution on wildlife. His XXL frescoes are a real eye-opener: the same garbage that destroys their natural habitat becomes a powerful symbol of awareness.
"Our waste destroys nature, but ironically it can also remind us of its beauty and fragility."
Bordalo II
3- Vik Muniz - The magician of recycled illusions
Born in São Paulo, Vik Muniz discovered art in books, long before museums.
Today, he revisits masterpieces with dust, plastic and garbage.
Through his Waste Land project, he creates monumental portraits in Rio's largest rubbish dump, alongside waste pickers.
"Our waste destroys nature, but ironically it can also remind us of its beauty and fragility."
Vik Muniz
At Ecomaison, every material has potential!
Today, this artistic approach continues to grow and is fully in line with contemporary issues: the circular economy, sustainable design, resource conservation.
Giving objects a second life also means changing the way we look at waste - seeing it not as an end, but as a starting point.
What if creating also meant reinventing what we thought was lost?
What about you? Have you ever transformed a piece of waste into a work of art? Do you know any other upcycling talents?