Oscar Olivares Sets Record with Giant Recycled Bottle Cap Mural

Latin American artist Oscar Olivares sets a record with the world's tallest mural made of recycled bottle caps

Venezuelan artist Oscar Olivares made history again in San Salvador, El Salvador, by unveiling an eco-friendly mural made of recycled plastic bottle caps, setting a world record as the tallest bottle cap mural in the world.

The artwork, located in the Zacamil neighborhood, stands 13 meters tall and was created with more than 100,000 recycled plastic bottle caps collected by local residents, recyclers, and community members.

The mural is a reinterpretation of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa, adapted with Latin American features and traditional clothing, which Olivares calls "The Salvadoran Mona Lisa." According to the artist, the figure symbolizes the identity, diversity, and rebirth of El Salvador and the Latin American community in general.

Olivares emphasized that the piece not only represents a record for its size, but also for the social and environmental impact it has generated. For him, art is a transformative tool that can turn waste into cultural identity and strengthen the sense of belonging in communities by actively involving neighbors, recyclers, and local organizations in the creative process.

The project was supported by the National Association of Collectors and Recyclers of El Salvador, as well as organizations such as Custom Made Stories Foundation and Full Painting, which collaborated on logistics, bottle cap collection, and the execution of the artwork.

This mural is the 46th in Olivares' artistic career using plastic bottle caps, with works displayed in various countries and communities around the world. His work always seeks to promote recycling, environmental sustainability, and collective participation, in addition to celebrating creativity in urban spaces.