I`LL ALWAYS GET YOU

I was born in Africa where not all children have the privilege of playing with manufactured toys. I learned early on how to make my own toys from discarded objects. Because I came from a poor family my mom couldn’t afford to buy toys so I never had plastic toys. In Macau it’s the opposite. Macau TRASH is FANCY. There’s lots of different types of things that people throw away - is not only plastics toys - there’s TVs, washing machines, radios, chairs, tables, and much more.Looking at all the trash in Macau made me feel that we are not doing much when it comes to RECYCLE, REUSE, and REDUCE. Every day before I go to work I go to Hac-Sa beach and pick up brand new plastic toys. Per day I may pick over 100 plastic toys. People buy the plastic toys use them once and leave them at the beach. If I don’t pick them early in the morning the beach cleaners will do it and throw them in the trash which is SAD Macau can’t be the single-use country, we may not be the 100% recycling country but we should at least try.I feel it’s my duty as an artist to inspire the new generation. I want to show people that anything can be turned into art. It's a way to give new life to old objects and to promote sustainability in our communities Is there any artist who has inspired you? I admire Bordalo II a Portuguese artist who works with trash in a very large scale that I only wish I could. I am also inspired by the creativity of children in Africa who make their own toys out of anything they find. When it comes to sustainability and environmental consciousness,where do you think Macao stands?I’m not here to educate anyone but I hope to inspire the new generation by using my creativity. I think that when it comes to sustainability and environmental consciousness we in Macau have a lot of catching up to do.It’s unbelievable the amount of trash at Hac-sa beach from Fridays to Monday. People throw trash on the floor when there’s trash bins all around the beach. We keep on buying lots of things for single use take for example the barbecue grills – they are made of metal and we could REUSE them. One of my art pieces in the current exhibition is called “barbecue” - your trash is my art.I have asked people at the beach why they are not taking the toys back home with them and the answer was “they are dirty and the car will be dirty” which doesn’t make any sense. What (governmental or otherwise) changes and initiativeswould you like to see more of?it’s not about the government, it’s about people’s consciousness. I don’t get payed to pick up trash but I do it because it’s good for the environment. Hac-sa is the best place we have in Macau and I think we should all appreciate it and keep it clean.We should be talking more about environmental issues at school. Most of the children’s lives is spent at home and at school. They have no idea what happens beyond those two places. They do not see the consequences of their behavior in the environment. I would like for schools to promote competitions on making art from trash. I would also suggest opening doors for artists who have to work from home due to lack of a proper studio and / or can’t afford to pay for one. I would like to see this problematic being addressed on TV - 2 to 3 minutes talking about the issue, on radio, newspapers, etc. There are many forbidden signs at the beach such as: no smoking, no fishing, no dogs, etc. how wonderful would it be to have a sign “DON’T LEAVE ANY TOYS BEHIND AT THE BEACH” I would like to continue along this line and take my exhibition to local schools and to keep doing what I love and to inspire others to take care of the environment.