Raw Plus Material Equals Art

Book excerpt: The newest development in alternative art: the use of salvaged and repurposed materials by contemporary artists. Tristan Manco reveals how artists of all kinds are bringing creativity to basic, often unglamorous materials—from broken bottles, old flip-flops, and skateboards to sustainable resources such as wood, straw, and paper. Through hundreds of illustrations, in-depth artist profiles, and detailed discussions of various materials, he showcases the work of more than thirty innovative and inspiring artists from around the world, from the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and Chile to the UK, Spain, France, and Italy. Some of the artists have invented new techniques—American artist Rosemarie Fiore uses fireworks to create paintings—while others have pushed the envelope in the presentation of their work by creating fresh, dynamic forms of display. Whether it is Chilean artist Carlos Zuniga’s creative use of text pages from found books and directories or Brazilian sculptor Henrique Oliveira’s ambitious organic forms in salvaged plywood, the book highlights how imaginative approaches to media and technique encourage us to look at the world in new ways.