The incredible ‘works of Seo Young Deok are clearly inspired by the shapes of the human body, but artists have been sculpting masterpieces based on our natural curves for hundreds of years. What makes this Korean designer special is the material he uses for his unique creations – bicycle chains. Miles of metal chains, to be exact, welded in such a way that they recreate the human body to the finest details. Deok says he finds inspiration for his art in crowded markets, and metro or bus stations, but also in Buddhist sculptures and paintings, which he has alway admired. “I like Asia Beauty” he says, “so most features of my work seem to take an Asiatic pose”.
All of the artworks in Seo Young Deok’s newest series, Dystopia, are very impressive, but the 7ft 6in head called Nirvana clearly stands out. The stunningly detailed human head is made of over a mile of bicycle chains, and costs over $40,000. The artist spent over a year painstakingly welding every piece of chain to create this realistic masterpiece. His collection also includes a human torso that was completed in over two months, and an entire human body he finished in four months.
