Recycling Art

A replica of The Venus of Milo on a rubbish tip is bound to be interpreted as a manifestation of the superannuation and decline of the ancient ideal of beauty. However, the sticker on the rubbish container proclaims ‘recycling art’ – which suggests that the sculpture will be reclaimed. This shift of the ecological concept of recycling into the realm of art is an ironic game that plays with the viewer. All that can be recycled is the material used; however, this would lead to the destruction of the concept behind the work, and thus to damaging the work itself. Some avant-garde movements, such as futurism, demanded the destruction of museums and the annihilation of the art of the past. In a sense, the fulfillment of such demands would be a form of recycling, since the idea was to reclaim the space in order to create scope for new art.