DISCARDED POLYTHENE BAGS AS A MEDIUM FOR PORTRAIT PAINTING: CHALLENGING PERCEPTIONS OF BEAUTY, TECHNIQUE AND SUSTAINABILITY

This study explores the creative and environmental potential of discarded polythene bags as a medium for portrait painting. Set against the backdrop of rising plastic pollution in Nigeria and globally, the research examines the objective of investigating the technical possibilities of discarded polythene bags in portrait paintings, aesthetic qualities and environmental significance. Employing a qualitative, studio practice-based methodology, the research produced ten paintings in the representational stage; of these, three representational portraits of prominent Nigerian personalities are presented and discussed in this paper. Discarded polythene bags of different colours, collected from dump sites in Lafia, Nasarawa State, were applied without conventional paint through colour-sorting, cutting, layering, and collage techniques. Findings show that, within the scope of the works produced, polythene waste can approximate the tonal range and textural depth associated with conventional portrait media, although questions of long-term durability, conservation, and archival stability were outside the scope of this study and remain to be tested. The resulting artworks function as both aesthetic objects and instruments of environmental advocacy, transforming “waste into art” and prompting a reconsideration of material value, sustainability, and consumerism. This research contributes to contemporary Nigerian art and eco-art discourse by establishing discarded polythene bags as a viable and culturally grounded medium for portraiture.