CRAP ART: Sustainable Art

Each individual generates hundreds of pounds of trash per year. Cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, magazines, cans, clothes, office papers, food wrappers, personal hygiene products, and other materials that inevitably end up in our planet's oceans and landfills. Inspired by the hope of a more sustainable future, Mariana seeks beauty in items that would typically be cast aside. Through her love of screen printing, drawing, collage, music, recycling and digital design, she salvages "trash" to create timeless art.

“Everything started with a spring cleanup," explained the Mexico City-born artist. "I was emptying my bedroom drawers and started tossing all this stuff that I just didn’t have any use for anymore. Non-recyclables such as luggage locks with no keys, single socks, old guitar strings, blank cassette tapes, and CDs began filling up my trash can. I was left feeling guilty, so I knew I had to make a change. That's when I began channeling my artistic energy into recyclable crafts.”

“I know it’s not easy or realistic to be completely waste free, but I hope my art will raise awareness about recycling and encourage others to avoid buying non-recyclables."

Mariana is constantly reinventing her work, learning new techniques and using different materials to create one-of-a-kind treasures. Every project is born out of experimentation, with a melodic tune playing in the backdrop, as music is and has always been a crucial part of her life (she’s a musician). Rhythm and melodies dictate the direction of her works of art, so each piece is named after a song or artist relevant to the process.

As a visual designer and creative director, Mariana has had the opportunity to work for musical artists such as HAIM, Cisco Adler, Jay Stolar, Goody Grace, Alabama Shakes , Cody Simpson, The Zibbz and brands like Hollister, American Revolution Vodka and Sicky Eyewear. She’s been the creative director for several music videos and events and has designed concert posters, logos and album art for different artists. Mariana graduated from FIT in NYC, where she majored in Advertising and Marketing Communications. Her education included one Intro to Graphic Design class and a couple of Video Production classes, which changed the course of her career. After learning the basics, she taught herself the rest by watching tutorials and online courses.

“I’ve been painting and drawing since childhood, I’ve always had the urge to create, whether it’s art or music… If I want to learn something I can’t wait to look for a teacher or enroll in a course, with the internet we have access to all sort of courses, so there’s no excuse, it’s all about being curious and having the desire to learn new things”

She’s currently planning a show to expose her art focusing on her new collection Crap Art. Place and date will be announced on her social media.

Contact:

ocejo.mariana@gmail.com

Instagram: @bymaraocejo

Press Photos: Dropbox