ePromos announced that it has collaborated with artist Chris Riggs to create 16 original works in honor of Earth Day 2020, which will be on sale today through the Chris Riggs Gallery with a portion of proceeds going toward COVID-19 relief efforts. The works are each made from repurposed promo items.
Riggs is known for a mix of artistic styles that includes cubism, abstract, surrealism, street art and more.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ePromos flew in Riggs to tour the Hit Promotional Products factory to introduce him to the promotional products industry and include a supplier that focuses on reducing environmental impact.
While he was there, Riggs asked about creating pieces from found objects and defective promotional products that otherwise would have been trash:
“Our intention was to create a series of artworks that honored and celebrated Earth Day 2020 by directly implementing the classic ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ principles,” ePromos said. “This project fits in with our ePromos Cares Mission, and there are many products that don’t make it all the way through the process successfully—for example, when print doesn’t align properly or it breaks in the process, or when a product doesn’t pass the stringent quality control procedures.”
Riggs took the discarded promotional products (as well as some unused paint) for his one-of-a-kind pieces. Via ePromos:
The result? He took discarded promo items such as sunglasses, highlighters and pens and transformed them into complex, innovative works of art. His provocative work draws attention to the global dangers posed by the current climate crisis and the ways we can all do our part to think more critically about the products we use (and throw away) on a regular basis.
In Chris’s artistic hands, an old guitar, a few pairs of sunglasses, and some paint became an astonishingly tactile, exuberant piece in a riot of joyful colors. Even the paint he used was recycled. “People get paint made and don’t like the color, so then they don’t want it.I mix that paint and make new colors,” Riggs explained.
All the pieces in the Chris Riggs x ePromos collection will be available for purchase, with a portion of the proceeds going to COVID-19 relief efforts as part of Giving Tuesday Now, on May 5, 2020.
“I have always enjoyed using found objects to create art,” Riggs said. “I think it’s amazing how artists can turn everyday items into art. It’s like magic! So when ePromos contacted me to make these pieces, I was really excited.”
To view the full Chris Riggs x ePromos collection, click here.