Thinking Outside the Can

As a connoisseur of “turning trash object ‘X’ into art object ‘Y’” stories, I’ve gotten a little jaded about salvaged art. But the work of artist Jean Shin, as highlighted on NPR and currently being featured in the Smithsonian, is some of the cooler stuff I’ve come across. Mainly, I appreciate that she doesn’t settle for the one-dimensional “see, trash is actually useful/interesting/not trash!” argument posited by a lot of salvage artists. She uses trash, she makes art, but each piece makes its own statement, such as chandeliers made of empty prescription medication bottles, or forests of old trophies altered to celebrate every day endeavors. Be sure to check out her site.