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Colin

Crichton

Recycled Paper Bags is a body of work rooted in transformation and reuse. In this series, I reclaim discarded paper bags sourced from a wide range of stores and commercial environments. Each bag is deliberately deconstructed, torn, crumpled, destroyed, and reassembled through an intuitive, physical process that strips the material of its original function and visual identity. Through this act of destruction and reconstruction, the paper bags are re-designed into unique artworks and given a new life and sense of purpose. The resulting pieces embrace a Neo-Expressionist aesthetic, where gesture, texture, and raw materiality play a central role. Marks, layers, and imperfections are not hidden but celebrated, allowing the history of the material to remain visible within the work. Once transformed, the artworks are framed using restored vintage frames sourced from flea markets. These carefully selected frames each carrying its own past create a dialogue between the reclaimed material and traditional presentation, reinforcing the idea of recycling not only as a material process, but as a conceptual and aesthetic one.

© 2026 by Colin Crichton.

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