Image: Adrian Kondratowicz, Untitled, 2024, plastic collage on panel
A series of hot pink garbage bags promotes trash clean-up, replacing visual monotony with color black trash bags
NYC Parks is pleased to present The TRASH Project, an exhibition of collaged artworks by New York City-based artist Adrian Kondratowicz. This body of work highlights community volunteerism and features a common motif: hot pink, polka-dotted trash bags. Kondratowicz first produced these eye-catching garbage bags in 2008, as an art project drawing attention to the large amount of trash that accumulates on city streets. The project aims to change behavior by shifting perceptions of the problem of litter and the act of cleaning up through unconventional and eye-catching means. Over time, the project evolved from a social art project into a series of monthly park cleanups in Manhattan’s St. Nicholas Park, an extension of the artist’s studio, and other public spaces around the world.
Since 2020, the ubiquitous pink bags have found their way into Kondratowicz’s collaged paintings, often featured alongside portraits of volunteers that mark the project’s return to its artistic origins. Emphasizing sustainability, Kondratowicz frequently uses salvaged materials found during the clean ups, including plastic trash bags, shopping bags, and packaging, which are applied green tarps instead of canvas. Taken together, the works make visible the importance of volunteering, celebrate the local volunteer community, and show that sustainability can be both joyful and effective.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 6 p.m.
This exhibition is FREE and open to the public. For more information, visit nyc.gov/parks/art.
The Arsenal Gallery, Central Park
Fifth Ave. & 64th St., 3rd Floor
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