The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of Eoul Art Center
Discarded materials find new purpose as art in the upcoming outdoor exhibition Connect (잇-다), set to open on February 24 at the Eoul Art Center in Buk-gu, Daegu. Running through April 27, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the creative possibilities of junk art while reflecting on themes of sustainability, resourcefulness, and the delicate balance between nature and human industry.
Connect reimagines waste not as an endpoint but as the beginning of new artistic narratives. The exhibition showcases the works of three artists—Kim Ho Sung, Eric Song, and Oh Dae Ho—who each use scrap materials to challenge perceptions of value and discard, transforming debris into sculptural works that blend environmental awareness with bold creativity.
Kim Ho Sung focuses on the cyclical relationship between nature, humanity, and life itself. In his featured works, Kim uses discarded materials to craft sculptures that emphasize renewal and resilience. One standout piece depicts a dung beetle—an insect long revered for its role in ecological recycling—crafted from an abandoned streetlight. This sculpture highlights themes of regeneration and the life cycle of materials. Another of Kim’s installations features a bull, a symbol of perseverance and vitality in Korean culture, representing strength in the face of environmental degradation.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of Eoul Art Center
Eric Song presents a vibrant take on upcycling art, repurposing materials like scrapped car parts, farming equipment, and old tires to create kinetic, machine-like life forms. Inspired by pop culture icons and animal figures, his sculptures bridge the gap between the familiar and the industrial. Song’s work critiques the excesses of modern capitalism and consumer culture, while also pushing the boundaries of sculptural art by blurring lines between utility and aesthetics.
Oh Dae Ho, a veteran in the field of junk art with over 20 years of experience, contributes an array of sculptures crafted from discarded tires, metal, plastic, and wood. Having produced over 6,000 works, Oh transforms waste into imaginative recreations of birds, insects, animals, and characters from fairy tales and films. His art invites viewers to ask, “What was this before?”—a question that sparks both curiosity and critical reflection on society’s throwaway culture.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of Eoul Art Center
To further engage the community, the exhibition will feature an interactive program titled Connecting Hands (잇는 손), a hands-on workshop led by Kim Ho Sung. Participants will have the chance to collaborate with the artist in creating new sculptures from waste materials, which will later be displayed throughout the Eoul Art Center starting mid-April. The workshop is open to six teams of two to four participants, with registration available through the Happy Buk-gu Cultural Foundation’s website from March 24 to 28.
An Eoul Art Center representative emphasized the importance of the exhibition’s message: “Connect highlights the potential for sustainability and creative reuse, encouraging a dialogue on how art and the environment can coexist harmoniously.”
Open 24 hours in the center’s outdoor spaces, Connect invites visitors to experience art in a new light—where the discarded becomes the extraordinary and waste is transformed into a catalyst for reflection and change.
Sayart / Nao Yim, yimnao@naver.com
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of Eoul Art Center
Discarded materials find new purpose as art in the upcoming outdoor exhibition Connect (잇-다), set to open on February 24 at the Eoul Art Center in Buk-gu, Daegu. Running through April 27, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the creative possibilities of junk art while reflecting on themes of sustainability, resourcefulness, and the delicate balance between nature and human industry.
Connect reimagines waste not as an endpoint but as the beginning of new artistic narratives. The exhibition showcases the works of three artists—Kim Ho Sung, Eric Song, and Oh Dae Ho—who each use scrap materials to challenge perceptions of value and discard, transforming debris into sculptural works that blend environmental awareness with bold creativity.
Kim Ho Sung focuses on the cyclical relationship between nature, humanity, and life itself. In his featured works, Kim uses discarded materials to craft sculptures that emphasize renewal and resilience. One standout piece depicts a dung beetle—an insect long revered for its role in ecological recycling—crafted from an abandoned streetlight. This sculpture highlights themes of regeneration and the life cycle of materials. Another of Kim’s installations features a bull, a symbol of perseverance and vitality in Korean culture, representing strength in the face of environmental degradation.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of Eoul Art Center
Eric Song presents a vibrant take on upcycling art, repurposing materials like scrapped car parts, farming equipment, and old tires to create kinetic, machine-like life forms. Inspired by pop culture icons and animal figures, his sculptures bridge the gap between the familiar and the industrial. Song’s work critiques the excesses of modern capitalism and consumer culture, while also pushing the boundaries of sculptural art by blurring lines between utility and aesthetics.
Oh Dae Ho, a veteran in the field of junk art with over 20 years of experience, contributes an array of sculptures crafted from discarded tires, metal, plastic, and wood. Having produced over 6,000 works, Oh transforms waste into imaginative recreations of birds, insects, animals, and characters from fairy tales and films. His art invites viewers to ask, “What was this before?”—a question that sparks both curiosity and critical reflection on society’s throwaway culture.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of Eoul Art Center
To further engage the community, the exhibition will feature an interactive program titled Connecting Hands (잇는 손), a hands-on workshop led by Kim Ho Sung. Participants will have the chance to collaborate with the artist in creating new sculptures from waste materials, which will later be displayed throughout the Eoul Art Center starting mid-April. The workshop is open to six teams of two to four participants, with registration available through the Happy Buk-gu Cultural Foundation’s website from March 24 to 28.
An Eoul Art Center representative emphasized the importance of the exhibition’s message: “Connect highlights the potential for sustainability and creative reuse, encouraging a dialogue on how art and the environment can coexist harmoniously.”
Open 24 hours in the center’s outdoor spaces, Connect invites visitors to experience art in a new light—where the discarded becomes the extraordinary and waste is transformed into a catalyst for reflection and change.
