About
LA Art Show Featured Booth_Steel Che(Youngkwan Choi)
Date
Feb. 19(Wed.)~23(Sun.), 2025
Venue
LA CONVENTION CENTER South Hall
Booth #
302
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GUARDIANS OF THE FOREST
STEEL CHE(Youngkwan Choi)
Exploring Human History Through Steel
Youngkwan Choi, known professionally as Steel Che, has been creating metal sculptures for over three decades. His work, deeply influenced by his background in art education and his family's connection to the steel industry, bridges the gap between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary artistic expression.
Steel Che reinterprets steel as a symbol of human civilization and power, rather than just a sculptural material. His work is based on restoring the materiality of steel and the historical narratives it contains, and exploring its relationship with humans.
Beyond that, his works also highlight the fundamental conflicts of human history: creation and destruction, protection and violence. Through this he sharply captures the contemporary social and political context to offer new possibilities for contemporary sculpture.
His New York-based series on guns critically examines society and power structures through their paradoxical meanings of destruction and protection. He uses the gun as an object to explore the complex relationship between violence, survival, and power, and asks the philosophical question, “What do humans really need?”
The exhibition's centerpiece, "Steam Robot," demonstrates Che's mastery of steel manipulation. This large-scale sculpture, along with other works crafted from discarded metal, showcases Che's artistic philosophy of transforming industrial materials into thought-provoking art. His diverse career, including collaborations with Harley Davidson Korea, builds upon his unique approach to sculpture.
Art in Dongsan's presentation of Steel Che at the LA Art Show 2025 offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the intersection of industrial heritage and contemporary sculpture, showcasing the evolving landscape of Korean art.
“My work does not simply end with cutting, welding, and assembling steel. It begins with breathing life into its history-unearthing where it came from, its original purpose, and the countless hours it spent in various places. As an artist, I find myself drawn to the question of how these materials have come to interact with people and their lives.”
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