After a childhood spent collecting used items, Subeih exhibits ‘recycled art’

AMMAN — Since he was a child, Ahmad Subeih has enjoyed collecting cans, plastic and pieces of metal, and turning them into artwork to be showcased in houses and exhibitions.

Subeih, a Jordanian artist, said recycling items and renovating them enriched his childhood and created more interesting experiences.

At his exhibition, held at Amman’s Gallery 14, he displayed several recycled pieces for decorative purposes and everyday use.

“Recycled art is a result of what we call ‘poor art’. I started creating art out of used items as a child. I used cables, cans and other metals; these were our toys, unlike the toys given to children nowadays,” the artist said.

“Children these days do not have physical contact with their toys; they do not have the full experience… Recycled art is a form of going back in time and reliving the old childhood memories we had before technology took over,” he told The Jordan Times.

Recycling used objects, he said, helps one enhance visual memory and remember games and toys from the old days.

“[Technology] has killed the childhood memories we lived… Working on your art pieces manually adds more to the quality of the piece and the value of it. The situation is not the same when the child has technological gadgets for art,” Subeih added.

Collecting the pieces and bringing them together in one whole might take weeks or even months, he said, but with every art piece, he discovers something new. 

“Art is not like physics or maths; it’s about innovation, being creative in your products and designs. This is why we should work on improving our skills, since they lead to expanding our horizons and generating new ideas.”

The artist voiced hope that recycled art would be introduced in schools and art faculties in the Kingdom, to encourage young people to start using time-worn items and turn them into pieces of art that can be displayed in galleries. 

Subeih’s pieces will be on display at the gallery near the 2nd Circle until November 3, organisers said.