“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is a cliché saying, but the author of that phrase probably never realized how awkwardly true it could turn out in the form of artistic upcycling.
Yvonne Michiels(1966, Helmond, Holland) creates large portraits from plastic bags. This way the bags are being recycled into colourful art works. In fact the graphic details on the bags emphasize the expressiveness of the image. Standing close to the portrait you are dazzled by the chaos of plastic pieces but from a distance the disorder appears to be a rather realistic portrait.
artist
Y V O N N E M I C H I E L S
Your trash... my treasure
Yvonne not only observes women in her daily enviroment, but also through television,magazines and photographs. Beautiful flawless looking women who do everything to meet their ideal image. Through,make-up,fitness and fashion, also to the extreme of plastic surgery which is no longer the exception of today's society where the appearance of youth and beauty play an important role for these women.
In her portraits she attempts to capture the hinting of emotions through bits of plastic. She creates these women who at first sight you see their ideal beauty, but as you look closer you see the emotional vulnerability that lies beneath.
The deliberately tight cropping and rest open forms, reinforce the idea that you are close to the skin and give the feeling that you can look into the inner self. Beautiful but sad stories come to you as you look into these collagues.
