Asahi, Edition 5/50 Photograph

French artist Claude Charlier is known for his hyper-realistic paintings of discarded cigarette packs and crushed soda cans. Charlier was born in France and studied music and fine art for much of his life. He maintained a career as a professional fashion photographer which led him to travel the world for many years and live not only in Europe and the USA, but for many years in Tokyo. It was during these travels that he was inspired by a discarded soda can and decided to create his Rubbish Collection. Charlier’s choice to paint the discarded objects acts as a means to recycle them, and thus the beauty and memories associated with the consumers’ use.