Plastic isn’t often associated with artistic expression, yet, Johnny Bodigelo Khudugo re-uses, re-purposes, and recycles plastics to create one-of-a-kind pieces that quite literally take your breath away.

Born on 21 February 1994 at Brukkuil Village near Madikwe in the North-West province of South Africa, at 10-years old, Johnny was diagnosed with Spinal Tuberculosis, leaving him permanently disabled and paralysed. Six months later, he was given a second chance to walk again. In 2013, Khudugo lost his mother, it was then that he found his expression for art.

Khudugo has developed a technique to use a needle and recycled plastic to create canvasses and paints strictly with recycled plastic and sometimes uses other plastic objects to create beautiful pieces of art. As a self-taught Recycle Artist, Johnny collects what many may see as trash, melts it down, moulds, and manipulates it onto a flat surface only to then turn it into a masterpiece.

“I use a needle to create my art on handmade canvas that I create myself, sometimes, I even add some other found objects, but I’m strict about creating art using recycled plastic.”

He believes that nothing in this motherland should be called useless. “Trash turned into treasure” is Johnny Bodigelo Khudugo’s daily mantra.

You can find Johnny Bodigelo Khudugo’s art below:

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