We’ve seen quite a bit of recycled MetroCard art recently, from the Metrobench to an entire show of cards transformed into tiny paintings. But we are especially fond of Guatemalan-born, New York-based artist Juan Carlos Pinto’s beautifully detailed MetroCard mosaics, which include portraits of cultural icons including Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Frida Kahlo, Nelson Mandela, and many more. And, although subway-card art is certainly trendy, there is a purpose behind Pinto’s use of the medium: repurposing materials that would otherwise be garbage supports his commitment to environmentalism. Check out a gallery of Pinto’s celebrity images after the jump, and visit his website to see more of the artist’s work. If you’re in New York, you can see Pinto’s work in person tomorrow night, April 28.
Michael Jackson
Bruce Lee
John Lennon
Frida Kahlo
Nelson Mandela
Jean-Michel Basquiat (Samo)
Bob Marley
Louis Armstrong
Luis Guzman
[via BuzzFeed]