Manveer Singh said he collected plastic from going door to door and also to schools. (Representational)
Delhi-based artist Manveer Singh uses plastic waste as a raw material to create artwork and has utilised 250 kg of plastic in three years, diverting it from being dumped at landfills.
The artist, who started this innovative eco-friendly work in April 2018, has till now sold three artworks overseas -- two in Abu Dhabi and one in Germany.
By profession, Mr Singh is an art teacher.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "I have completed 11 artworks made out of plastic and I am working on my 12th piece."
"In the beginning, I used to do landscape paintings and live paintings. But it wasn't enough for me. I used to think that I too have to do something for nature. I didn't want to just take nature as an inspiration. Earlier, through my paintings, nature didn't get anything and it was merely a subject," he said.
He added, "Whenever I used to go out, I noticed some changes-- the landscape was loaded with plastic, and the river was even more polluted with each passing day. All I saw around me was plastic. So, I decided to use plastic as colour and make people aware of our increasing dependence on plastic and its harmful effects on the environment."
"At present, we are seeing that there are many kinds of pollutants in the environment and plastic is at the top of it. Every citizen is responsible for it because we are the only people who are using plastic. I noticed that multilayer plastic cannot be segregated and people are unable to recycle it. So, I started using it as colour in my artwork," he said.
Describing how he initially started out and collected plastic, Mr Singh said, "In the beginning, I thought that I will use the plastic which I am consuming. So, I washed it and started making it but it wasn't enough. So, I thought of asking people living in my building and nearby areas. Soon, it also got used up. Then, I spoke to rag pickers, but they refused..."
"It was good that they refused to give me plastic as the main issue would've been unresolved. No change will come if people are using this and throwing it. After ragpickers refused to give plastic to me, I started collecting it door to door. Because of this, I used to get clean polythene and people were getting aware."
Mr Singh further informed that he even started a drive at schools to collect plastic.
He has displayed his work at many places like Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center in January 2020, Manarat Al Saadiyat Cultural Center, Abu Dhabi in February 2020, the museum of Goa and other places.