The Artist: Eduardo Cabrer
The Idea: Art that Calls Out Consumer Behavior
The Art: Plasticidad
Miami Art Week 2019 Meet the Artist: Experience the Art Series
At Spectrum Miami, one of several art fairs held during Miami Art Week 2019, I was drawn to the work of Eduardo Cabrer who encases plastic trash and found objects in colored resin creating thought-provoking art that calls out consumer waste.
The collection is called Plasticidad and consists of debris and found objects suspended in resin, raising questions about the origin and purpose of each object.
Eduardo started making his resin-coated trash art after walking the beaches of his native Puerto Rico with his daughters to collect shells only to discover the beaches were covered in more trash than shells. “We started collecting plastic instead of shell shells and then I had the problem of figuring out what to do with all of this plastic to add value to it,” Eduardo says.
I’m fascinated by the irony of creating a thing of beauty out of the ugliness of trash. I find Eduardo’s aesthetic haunting, as if his found objects are entombed as a shrine to the follies of humankind.
“It’s about creating an awareness of the excess of plastic that is out there. It’s a contrast between the process of buying something and the process of disposing of something. My artwork is about creating that awareness of the eternity of plastic,” Eduardo says.
Through his art, Eduardo hopes to create an awareness of issues caused by consumer behavior and call out our throwaway culture. “That is part of the challenge to create something that adds value out of something that has no monetary value.”
Spectrum Miami 2019, is an art fair known for its urban and upscale works of art. The show featured the works of more than 200 exhibiting galleries and artists from the Florida region, the U.S. and around the globe, informed by the 2019 curatorial theme Ignite.
Learn more about the art of Eduardo Cabrer in new episodes of The Design Tourist filmed at Miami Art Week.
