Artist Vik Muniz Turns Trash Into Art
Ever wondered what the world’s biggest garbage dump looked like? Now you can find out; check out the documentary “Waste Land” which takes place at the Jardim Gramacho dump in the outskirts of Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Not only will you get a look at the dump itself, but you can also get a glimpse into the lives of the workers. These Brazilian garbage diggers, otherwise known as catadores, go through the trash of the 321 acre open air dump to obtain the recyclable materials to sell. Vik Muniz, renowned artist who currently resides in New York City and native to Brazil, decided to go to the outskirts of Rio de Janiero to document the lives of these catadores. Muniz’s idea was to construct images made out of the trash that these catadores were sifting through. Muniz said in a New York Times article, “What I want to be able to do is to change the lives of people with the same materials they deal with every day.”
So what’s the big deal about Muniz? You may think this is just another artist’s attempt to tug at your heartstrings so you'll buy their art. But it’s different for Muniz; all of the money that he makes from 
selling these pieces of art goes directly back to the catadores that he documented so closely. Muniz himself grew up very poor, so now he feels it is his time to give back, especially to the people of Brazil. One hundred percent of the sales of these pieces go to The Association of Recycling Pickers of Jardim Gramacho in efforts to transform the lives of these catadores. Click here if you’re interested in donating or finding out more information, and go see "Waste Land!"