Trash To Trophy. Artist Makes Art From Discarded Flip-Flops

26 year old Aristide Kouame is well on his way to becoming a top earner from flip-flops discarded by gleeful beach goers.

The Ivorian artist, combs the beach with huge bags, for abandoned rubber slippers and shoes which he turns into art valued at almost a $1000

“This is the rubbish people have thrown into the sea and the sea brings it back to us because it doesn’t want it,” he said “I make art from used shoes… It’s a way to give life to the objects that litter the beaches.”

Kouame does his work on the floor of a narrow corridor, carving shapes and alphanumericals from old soles, making them the components of his art pieces. the artist also makes his paints by grinding what scraps remain into piles of technicolour pigment a technique that is both inexpensive and ecological.

In the years since he started, his work and his methods have gained wide recognition home and abroad including catching the attention of Ivory Coast’s art establishment.

Around 13 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the world’s oceans each year, according to the United Nations. Two of Africa’s worst culprits, Ghana and Nigeria, share the same Atlantic coastline as the beach Kouame combs for supplies