Garbage = art at Trashion

I'd shop at the Gap if she were my greeter.

My friend and I went trolling the streets and returned with a My Little Pony, sparkly fake flowers, and teddy bear. Then we doused them with lighter fluid and set them on fire in a vacant lot for our own entertainment. Luckily, some artists are less self-centered than us, and created pieces from found objects that don’t let out noxious fumes. Trashion is an exhibit designed to promote environmental awareness in an artsy way. Reusable grocery sacks made of soda bottles be damned! They aren’t anywhere near as hypnotizing as wall sculptures made out of Legos, squirt guns, and tiny toy guitars. I was equally entranced by sea monster hunting trophies, portraits cut out of tape, and the mannequin decked out in a plastic bag can-can skirt.

Next week, the Trashion Dungeon opens, which is a basement full of black lit sculptures instead of torture devices or dominatrixes. Well, that’s a partial lie: there will be a cage with a sling shot for throwing food against a wall. And if you want to make your own art that doesn’t look like a scene from Animal House, go back upstairs and make a design with colored electrical tape on the wall. (I made the shark with blood dripping from its teeth).

Trashion
Gallery 151
350 Bowery, Lower East Side
1pm to 6pm
Wednesday to Sunday through August 21