This Artist Creates Oil-on-Canvas, but With Plastic From Garbage

Johannesburg’s artist recycles plastic and makes paintings on a homemade canvas.

Some of the art installations created by Mbongeni Buthelezi in Johannesburg. (Photo: AP screengrab)

Mbongeni Buthelezi from Johannesburg recycles plastic waste into art, tearing off strips of coloured plastic and melting them onto a home made plastic canvas.

When he was young, he could not afford pain so he decided to use waste plastic instead.

<p>The way I do my work is that I collect plastics, recycled plastics, from retails shops, garbage dumps and so on. I bring them back into my studio. I first stretch white roofing plastic over a wooden frame, and then layer coloured strips on top.</p>

<p>Mbongeni Buthelezi, Artist </p>

In 2011, Johannesburg Art Gallery hosted Buthelezi’s mid-career retrospective. Buthelezi’s work has been exhibited in the United States, Canada and Europe.