Rubber Queen’s Tyre Art

The thing that makes Chakaia Booker’s post-industrial sculptures stand out is that they’re all made from recycled tyres. The US artist scours city streets, highways and even junkyards trying to find her muse. Pushing the boundaries has earned Booker much critical acclaim. She’s hailed as the “rubber queen” by the art world. And her use of society’s throw away objects led to her current exhibition at the national museum of women in the arts. The eco-feminist says she’s not just creating art but making the public think more about the environment. While her work is unlikely to make any kind of dent into the global tyre arising totals, she certainly has found a way of making tyre mountains look more attractive.