Garbage as a material for fine arts

The power of fine art is reflected in its ability to combine different themes and media, from upper-class subculture to pop culture, mass media, and technology. This also includes rubbish. In my thesis, I deal with the concept or phenomenon of garbage as a basis for fine art. In art work, rubbish can be used either as a medium, a contextual starting point or both. The latter is also the focus of the thesis. In the theoretical part of the thesis, I present the historical background that led to the abandonment of art making in the classical medium and the turn to new media, with a focus on the medium of garbage. I explore the changes that the use of this medium has brought to the art world, the statement artists have communicated through their choice of medium, and the position of the art issues in the world today. I highlight artists from different historical periods or styles who have mainly used rubbish in their work and present some of their artworks, emphasizing the different semantic aspects of the medium of rubbish. In the practical part of the thesis, I present and analyze my artworks, where I highlight various issues in the field of mass consumption and ecology, as well as my view on the status of art in today's society. I compare my works with those of artists who have been a reference and inspiration for my work