Portuguese activist and ecologic artist Bordalo II has created his most ambitious trash animal installation to date. In collaboration with Zappos.com and Justkids he debuted Wild Wild Waste, a 10,000 square feet world of trash on display during the Life Is Beautiful Festival in Downtown Las Vegas.
About the Installation
Wild Wild Waste is an eye-popping zoo parody that aims to draw attention to the current global problem of human waste production and the commodification of animal habitats; while also offering viewers the ultimate destination for a creative funhouse.
For over five weeks, the project was prepared in secrecy in an abandoned Motel in Downtown Las Vegas. Justkids curator, Charlotte Dutoit explains “Bordalo is inspired by the rejected, the broken, the wasted, somehow our everyday; With the trash we refuse to be responsible for he creates a fantastic installation that is playful and, furthermore that question our relation to waste and our responsibility.”
The installation features enormous sculptures of animals that include a lion confined in a truck, a penguin flock stacked on plastic cubes, a whale tangled up in a fishing net, a Panda family made with cars, some white foxes and monkeys, all captured by our plastic kingdom. Tyler Williams, Fungineer at Zappos.com adds “We were so humbled to have the opportunity to help host the art of Bordalo at Life Is Beautiful this past weekend. The entire installation’s emotional nature gave us all a little lesson in doing more with less in our work and in our environment.”
Bordalo II extensive body of works includes sculptures and reliefs he calls “Trash Animals”; built with end-of-life materials like plastics found in wastelands, dumpsters, abandoned factories, scrap yards and recycling centers. However, the final product can’t be further away from trash, provoking viewers to consider the true nature of humanity and animals directly affected by our systemic waste production.
About Bordalo II
Based in Lisbon, the Portuguese artist Artur Bordalo, known as Bordalo II, has gained international acclaim not only for his keen artistic eye, but for the media he has chosen for his body of work. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather who also is an artist that creates public artworks, Bordalo choses to visually entice viewers while engaging in a dialog about a global issue currently facing our society. Collecting various discarded materials natural to each city he visits, Bordalo II incorporates waste such as old tires, appliances, aluminum cans, and imperishable objects into his street art installations. In his figurative reliefs as well as stand alone sculptures, Bordalo II forms various animals that are directly affected by the junk used to create his works. Although each piece is comprised of trash, the final product can’t be further away from it.
About Justkids
Justkids is a creative house that conceives and produces comprehensive art projects on an international scale with some of the world’s most engaging artists, curators and strategic consultants. Founded in 2014 Justkids supports a diverse team of inspirational pros and upcoming talents to meet the demands of a constantly evolving audience by delivering public art, cultural placemaking, art events and offering new art experiences for institutions, cities and leading lifestyle brands.
About the Life Is Beautiful Festival
Every September, thousands of inspired creators from all over the world come together for the Life is Beautiful Festival, a three-day event centered around music, art, taste and ideas. Eighteen blocks in Downtown Las Vegas are transformed into an open-air art gallery and a place of discovery, cementing imagination and initiative into our DNA. That gathering, by its very nature, becomes a platform in which positivity prevails, culture and creativity thrive and transformation occurs. Now in its sixth year, Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival (September 21–23, 2018) features marquee musicians, chefs, artists and speakers. Named “Music Festival of the Year” by Pollstar in 2017, Life is Beautiful attracted more than 175,000 attendees at last year’s sold out event. Globally recognized artists including Shepard Fairey, Banksy, Fafi and D*Face, to name a few, have permanently revolutionized the streets of Downtown Las Vegas.
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