Invisible Children by Tsesprit Tete

Togolese artist, Tesprit Tete, makes beautiful collage-style art out of old flip-flops. He finds these worn-out slippers — called "Dzimakplao" —at garbage dumps around his city and turns them into textured portraits on canvas.

Tesprit works these old plastics into layers and colors, ultimately forming shapes of people—usually street kids, who he says inspire a lot of his work. Through his recycled art, he tells stories of the tough lives these resilient children (who are also called Dzimakplao) face - the strength they display everyday and the beauty they cling to. His subjects are usually faceless, hinting at how invisible these children are. Through his works, he pulls back this cloak of invisibility a bit, while also spotlighting the massive waste crisis his country, and the world, face. In doing so, he has seamlessly blended environmental and social activism in his portraiture.

We love it.

Purchase Tesprit’s art on Artsy.