Mark Salinas

Broadway plazas between 41st & 47th StreetsFrom over 55 international submissions, the Times Square Transformation Selection committee chose Thank Yous (Recycled) as the second installation to be displayed on construction fencing on Broadway. The large-scale public art installation by Sunnyside-based artist Mark Salinas addressed the surplus of plastic shopping bags in circulation and strives to build awareness by recycling the positive messages printed on them.This bold and colorful Times Square installation had a simple, mundane origin: the plastic shopping bag. Disposable and cheap, under-valued and over-produced, the cheerful expressions found printed on our many shopping bags were re-introduced to the public in Thank Yous (Recycled).These plastic shopping bags, whether originating at neighborhood retailers or collected in personal efforts picking up litter, had their colorful, courteous messages extracted and recycled. Extremely cropped expressions taken from these bags became super-enlarged splashes of color and shapes printed upon vinyl mesh. These banners, installed on hundreds of construction barriers in Times Square during its renovation, aesthetically buffered edstreet construction while maintaining the visual urban edginess for which Times Square is known."I believe Thank Yous (Recycled) is just perfect for Times Square, to both visitors and residents alike, with its simple shopping bag origin and colorful super-enlarged graphics. To have my work amidst the glowing, global energy of Times Square is an honor!” - Mark Salinas