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Trash Becomes Art in Lower Manhattan Exhibit

By Irene Plagianos | December 2, 2016 4:58pm | Updated on December 5, 2016 1:12pm
 Artist Jean Shin's works, made from discarded leather scraps, are now on display
Artist Jean Shin's works, made from discarded leather scraps, are now on display
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Gibney Dance

FINANCIAL DISTRICT — Broken bike tubes, used food containers and discarded plastic cups are garbage to most — but for these artists, they serve as inspiration.

A newly opened Lower Manhattan exhibition features art made from refuse — creating beauty from objects that would otherwise be trash, organizers say.

The show, called "Re-Enliven," is a collaboration between the Materials for the Arts — a center that collects discarded items for repurposing — and Gibney Dance, a Downtown studio at 280 Broadway, where the works are now on display in the center's gallery space.

The exhibit, which launched Thursday, "helps us confront our relationship with waste and reimagine the possibilities of our items before tossing them away," Kwame Belle, a spokesman for Materials for the Arts said in a statement.

It's also hoping to draw attention to the amount of garbage we produce — New Yorkers alone create more than 10,000 tons of waste everyday.

Four artists' works are part of the display, including Jairo Toro, who used the inner tubes of bicycles to create his glowing pieces.

Art by Jairo Toro, courtesy of Materials for the Arts

Artist Bernard Klevickas repurposed food containers to create his colorful, mounted orbs.

Art by Bernard Klevickas, courtesy of Materials for the Arts.

The exhibition is slated to run through Jan. 16, with hours Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.