New Jersey-based artist Willie Cole is on a mission to give new life to discarded objects. He takes items that no one needs and turns them into peculiar sculptures.
Give Cole a bunch of objects, and the talented artist will know exactly what to do with them. No matter whether it’s a pile of plastic bottles or a closet full of high heels no one needs, Cole has the ability to put together even the most random objects into an intricate art piece.
“My interest or my habit is to work with objects that have had close intimate contact with human beings. The things you touch hold onto a part of you. My interest is then to extract and reveal the spirit in any object I use.”
While Cole works with all sorts of recycled material, most of his works have a more profound meaning and background. For example, his Air Mask series is dedicated to his friend and fellow artist Mark Morse, who died from an asthma attack. The collection was created out of defunct hairdryers, which Cole found in one abandoned building shortly after.
Cole frequently displays his works in exhibits in museums and galleries in the United States and abroad. You can also check out more of his pieces on social media or by continuing to scroll.
