Junkyard Creature

Bordalo Segundo, Salamander, 2015. Whole cars and mechanical mixed media.

Bordalo II uses found materials, such as car parts, to create larger-than-life sculptures.

Where most people see trash, Portuguese street artist Bordalo II sees potential. He uses found objects to create dramatic, larger-than-life sculptures like this work, titled Salamander.

How does the artist use recycled materials in this sculpture?

The artist arranged cars to form the animal’s curving body and head. Using electric saws, he cut other cars apart and used them to form limbs and toes. Bordalo II added tires to create the long, curving tail. Finally, he painted the sculpture black and added orange and yellow spots to mimic the striking patterns that decorate the amphibian’s skin in nature.

The installation is part of a series called “Big Trash Animals.” For Bordalo II, this is a symbolic work. “The materials we use [are] . . . the result of consumerism, of capitalism, and human actions in the world,” the artist explains. “My idea is to create the image of the victims from those things that destroy them.”

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