"If trash is everyone's problem then it is also everyone's resource"
From the moment I thought of this phrase and until today, this
sentiment encompasses everything I stand for, as an artist, educator,
and socio-environmental activist.
For more than a decade, I have been creating works about and out of plastic waste and plastic bags. It all started back in 2009 when I switched the green for the gray, moved from San Jose, Costa Rica to
New York, USA, and found inspiration in the different compositions of trash bags that accompanied me in my daily commutes. I would
interpret the compositions as if they were social situations and write
with graffiti markers directly onto the bags. This series of “Social Trash” aimed to illustrate the belief that we are more what we throw away
than what we consume. I also later explored this same concept through
a more introspective lens in the “If Ariela Was a Trash Bag” series.
One morning my attempt of writing on a wet bag led to my interest in the plastic bag as a material for art making so I began collecting them. In this series “Plastic Portraits”, I created collages through which I portrayed and framed not only a specific time and place but also my experience there. Each artwork shares a story, like a diary entry. With so many countries passing laws to ban single use plastic bags, fortunately one could say I was framing a very important moment in world history and working with a material “in danger of extinction”.
In March of last year, due to the pandemic I came back to Costa Rica while living in Mexico City. Although my plan was to continue working on “Plastic Portraits” with the plastic bag collection (from different cities around the world) that I have at my parents’ house, I tried to do so a few times but for some reason it didn’t feel right so I put them away.
As soon as the national parks reopened I went to visit one and while exploring beach I ended up doing a beach cleanup and the new material for my artworks: plastic waste/marine debris. At that moment I understood that I needed to work and make a difference in and with the “now”. With this series “Piece/s of Mind”, I transform the collected plastic waste into artworks through which I want to share possible narratives of where these pieces of plastic waste come from: what they were used for and the reason why they were discarded, this in order to make us reflect and re-evaluate the way in which we consume and throw away and be better consumers: more responsible and more aware.
From the moment I thought of this phrase and until today, this
sentiment encompasses everything I stand for, as an artist, educator,
and socio-environmental activist.
For more than a decade, I have been creating works about and out of plastic waste and plastic bags. It all started back in 2009 when I switched the green for the gray, moved from San Jose, Costa Rica to
New York, USA, and found inspiration in the different compositions of trash bags that accompanied me in my daily commutes. I would
interpret the compositions as if they were social situations and write
with graffiti markers directly onto the bags. This series of “Social Trash” aimed to illustrate the belief that we are more what we throw away
than what we consume. I also later explored this same concept through
a more introspective lens in the “If Ariela Was a Trash Bag” series.
One morning my attempt of writing on a wet bag led to my interest in the plastic bag as a material for art making so I began collecting them. In this series “Plastic Portraits”, I created collages through which I portrayed and framed not only a specific time and place but also my experience there. Each artwork shares a story, like a diary entry. With so many countries passing laws to ban single use plastic bags, fortunately one could say I was framing a very important moment in world history and working with a material “in danger of extinction”.
In March of last year, due to the pandemic I came back to Costa Rica while living in Mexico City. Although my plan was to continue working on “Plastic Portraits” with the plastic bag collection (from different cities around the world) that I have at my parents’ house, I tried to do so a few times but for some reason it didn’t feel right so I put them away.
As soon as the national parks reopened I went to visit one and while exploring beach I ended up doing a beach cleanup and the new material for my artworks: plastic waste/marine debris. At that moment I understood that I needed to work and make a difference in and with the “now”. With this series “Piece/s of Mind”, I transform the collected plastic waste into artworks through which I want to share possible narratives of where these pieces of plastic waste come from: what they were used for and the reason why they were discarded, this in order to make us reflect and re-evaluate the way in which we consume and throw away and be better consumers: more responsible and more aware.