It’s unbelievable what people throw away.

October 11, 2022 6:08 AM

Bordalo II Combines Salvaged Neon Tubes, Industrial Materials, and Other Waste into Lively Trash Animals in a New Retrospective. A seven-meter-tall squirrel made of railway dividers, decommissioned industrial hoses, and shopping carts in disrepair opens a massive retrospective from Portuguese artist Bordalo II (pronounced Bordalo Segundo).

Spanning ten years of his career, EVILUTION (which opened October 8th at the Edu Hub of Lisbon and runs through November 11th) reflects the environmental themes the artist has been drawn to for at least the last decade that are reflected through his signature Trash Animals, creatures comprised of entirely salvaged materials. Spray-paint cans are slotted into an abstract mosaic of a raccoon, while neon tubing illuminates a range of sculptural creatures including a fox, spider, and even a snail strapped to an electric scooter.

via Colossal

Artist Website and Instagram

posted by lazaruslong (10 comments total)

These are so cool! I especially like the spray paint can mosaic of the raccoon.

Reminds me of Washed Ashore. I got to see some of their sculptures made of trash from the ocean when they were at the Smithsonian zoo in DC a few years back.
posted by the primroses were over at 6:31 AM on October 11, 2022 [2 favorites]

Some more dramatic pictures here. These really are stunning works.

A-also, Bordalo "I" was a famous Portuguese artist who lives on mostly as ceramic tableware.

He originated "Zé Povinho," a caricature rustic best known for bending his elbow at injustices real and imagined.
posted by chavenet at 6:53 AM on October 11, 2022 [2 favorites]

I especially liked the spiders. Assuming they were spiders, of course. Thanks for this post and for the introduction to Colossal, lazaruslong!
posted by Bella Donna at 7:44 AM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

indeed, chavenet -- a related previous MeFi post as well
posted by lazaruslong at 8:42 AM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

and thank you for those links as well chavenet, i have only been scraping the surface of the art scene and traditions of Portugal and I already find myself fascinated and enthralled
posted by lazaruslong at 8:52 AM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

There's a lot going on. Vhils is another star.
posted by chavenet at 9:49 AM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

Really neat. Like. A lot.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:11 AM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

There's a lot of art that I find nice, pleasing, and interesting. There's not a whole lot that has truly captivated me, made me gasp "Oh!" aloud and just stare until I lose track of time. That neon fox, tho. It has to be just incredible in person.
posted by xedrik at 2:47 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

Wow, thanks very much for the post lazaruslong. I've been a fan of Bordalo II for several years, but learned a bunch just from these comments. And I agree with chavenet that Vhils is extraordinary too. Vhils has at least two wall portraits in Los Angeles, one on Abbot Kinney in Venice, and the other in Hollywood.
posted by mikefranks at 4:40 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

To be honest, that squirrel is a bit terrifying, bu I love the snail and the (?) spider.
posted by Fuchsoid at 6:28 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]