Man-shaped bin

Michael Yeltsin is a homeless man from Bloemfontein, living in Cape Town. He salvages wood from the streets and uses it to make objects that he sells by the side of the road. This piece is intended as a ‘bin’ – the head is attached to a lid that lifts off the body. I asked him to tell me more about why he made it, below – Ralph Borland, 2014

It’s because I want money – I’m looking for money. I made it like this because I think someone will love it, the shape – this corner, corner, corner like this. Maybe somebody will understand it. The shape is like a man. [The holes] are like a joke – just a joke.

Michael’s trolley