Seo Young-Deok's hyper-realistic sculptures of the human body made from bicycle chains

His artworks deliver epic narrations of humanity and modernity where stories are only inferred by the mere expressions of their bodies rather than the context of their surroundings. Seo’s work is mainly concerned with the fragmented world we live in, especially capturing the anxieties of the younger generation.

This is embodied in a series of sculptures with torn limbs and viscerally burned human torsos that reflect the pain, suffering and decay from the experience of his family’s generation working in Korea’s industrialization era. Seo’s use of iron bicycle chains is a link to the material that has been critical to the development of the modern world and Korea’s manufacturing industry.

His work will go on display during a joint exhibition later this month with Nick Gentry. Called Human Connection, the show at London's Opera Gallery will feature works by both artists who share an affinity with creating figurative works from found objects; instead of bicycle chains, Nick paints portraits on top of obsolete tech materials such as VHS cassettes and floppy disks. It will run from 14 until 28 September 2018.