Artists Confront E-Waste Crisis Through Sculpture, Film, and Installation

Artists globally are using electronic waste as a medium to critique its environmental and social impacts. Elias Sime in Addis Ababa creates intricate wall-reliefs from reclaimed computer parts in his Tightrope series, begun in 2009, sourced from local markets. Riar Rizaldi, based in Yogyakarta, produced the film Fossilis in 2023, imagining a future archaeologist studying e-waste in a virtual jungle, inspired by discarded electronics on Indonesia's Bangka Island. Katherine Behar in New York presents the E-Waste series from 2014, featuring USB peripherals fossilized in rocklike forms that continue to operate, highlighting labor and disposability. These works address e-waste as the fastest-growing solid-waste stream, projected to reach 111 million tons annually by 2050, with toxic effects from landfills and informal recycling. The Schiaparelli 'baby' sculpture at Paris Couture Week in January used pre-2007 batteries and circuit boards, drawing attention to high-income countries exporting waste to the Global South. Artists challenge device obsolescence and value hierarchies, referencing historical figures like the Dadaists. Their practices question narratives around extraction, pollution, and human agency in e-waste economies.