Art that resembles piles of trash and other debris may be recession indicator

Art that resembles collections of trash and other debris is back in vogue.

Several exhibitions across New York, including at MoMA PS1, feature “gather art,” made by “foraging for tossed-out junk,” ArtNews wrote.

One assemblage features a broken television set balanced on a dirty rolling chair. Given the provenance of the materials and the dour aesthetic, some critics have argued the style is something of a recession indicator.

But far from being pessimists, the movement’s artists “function more like alchemists, transforming the remainders of a declining world into something new altogether.”