From Trash to Treasure and Beyond: The Works of Vik Muniz

I will never be able to look at peanut butter, chocolate sauce, and the detritus one sees at landfills in the same way again, thanks to Vik Muniz. Muniz is a Brazilian-American artist, born in 1961. This past week, I was privileged to see a collection of his amazing works at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Actually, I could describe them as mind-blowing, beyond amazing, and extraordinarily imaginative and none of these terms would be adequate. Maybe I should simply say that Vik Muniz is a genius, creating stunning pieces out of microscopic scraps of paper and old photos, condiments, thread, trash, dust........in other words, the stuff of everyday life, presented in completely unexpected ways.

These super-sized Brillo boxes and the enormous collage in the background are just two of many works by Muniz currently on exhibit at the High Museum of Art.             Photo ©2016 Lynn Edwards

I've never considered the contents of a refrigerator to be a source of art materials, but Muniz saw  potential in such mundane commodities as black beans, chocolate syrup and peanut butter. Below is his portrait of Jackson Pollock:

This portrait of Jackson Pollock was created using chocolate syrup.    Photo ©2016 Lynn Edwards

Frankenstein, the Mona Lisa and other "celebs' " portraits are created using materials such as strawberry jam, caviar and diamonds (Obviously, it wouldn't be feasible to display the original pieces; instead they were photographed and it's photos that are displayed in this exhibition.)

There's so much to see in the Muniz exhibition I can't begin to do it justice in a description. Two friends and I arrived at the High around 1 p.m., and spent more than three hours in the Muniz exhibit alone. If you can get in to see it before it closes on August 21, you'll find it's more than worth your while. The more time you spend looking at each piece, the more you'll see, and the more you'll appreciate Muniz' view of life and his finely honed sense of irony. Take the time to examine each piece closely and carefully, and I promise the world will look very different to you by the time you leave.

Text and images ©2016 Lynn Edwards