Maryam Ghanbar (XX) - Coco Chanel

Maryam Ghanbar (2023)
Portrait of Coco Chanel – SCART Project
Mixed media with salvaged materials on panel
100 × 70 cm

Created in 2023 by artist Maryam Ghanbar for the SCART Project, this work interprets the face of the famous designer Coco Chanel through a refined three-dimensional composition built entirely with salvaged materials. Plastic fragments, buttons, industrial elements, and discarded components are assembled with great precision to construct the volumes of the face, the dark hair, and the elegant dress. The iconic pearl necklaces emerge from the palpable surface of the work, instantly evoking Chanel’s unmistakable aesthetic and giving the portrait depth and movement.

The work fits into the artistic trajectory of the SCART project, born in 1998 and today promoted by Hera Group, which for over twenty-five years has transformed materials destined for industrial waste into contemporary art, combining environmental ethics with aesthetic research. Over time the project has given rise to a collection of over a thousand works across sculptures, portraits, installations, and design objects, becoming one of the most important European examples of waste art and art linked to the circular economy.

SCART creations have been protagonists of numerous exhibitions and cultural events across Italy — from Bologna to Rome, from Trieste to Perugia — and have participated in important artistic and cultural contexts, including cinema-related exhibitions at the Venice International Film Festival and installations in festivals, museums, and cultural institutions.

This portrait fully embodies the project’s philosophy: transforming discarded matter into a work capable of telling icons of culture and contemporary design. A piece with strong visual impact, where creative reuse becomes an artistic language and each element preserves traces of its origin, helping to create a living, dynamic, and unique surface.

Unique work, expression of one of the most recognized realities of contemporary sustainable art, able to unite culture, design, and material innovation in a piece destined to stand out in any collection.