Photos: Argentine sculptor turns pandemic waste into art

Argentine artist Marcelo Toledo usually creates sculptures and jewelry out of metal. Now he is working with a new material: waste masks and syringes from the COVID-19 pandemic to create an exhibition exploring the painful impact of the virus. Toledo, was among the first in Argentina to contract COVID-19 a year ago, which left him hospitalized for eight days with pneumonia. The experience left an imprint on his life and triggered a flurry of artworks, from a 14-meter mask with the Argentine flag that he placed on the iconic Obelisk in Buenos Aires to raise awareness about organ donation during the pandemic. For his new exhibition, the "Museum of the After," Toledo is collecting recycled coronavirus waste sent by hospitals, laboratories and random people. It includes old vaccines and medical parts, and newspaper clippings about the pandemic.