Search

Art

Jay Sae Jung Oh’s Salvage Sculptures Will Melt Your Mind

03.28.23 | By
Jay Sae Jung Oh’s Salvage Sculptures Will Melt Your Mind

Jay Sae Jung Oh’s Salvage seating assemblages will make your mind bend in ways it’s never been bent before. What at first looks like a solid wooden sculpture… isn’t that. The ongoing series is one part art and one part craft, first composed of household objects that are appealingly arranged together. Once Oh is happy with the composition, it’s hand-wrapped in cords of jute or cowhide leather to achieve its striated appearance. The manufactured objects underneath are transformed into unique sculptural pieces and furniture, a direct jab directed toward the cultural condition of abundance and obsolescence.

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

Part experiment, part practicality, the Korean designer’s latest additions to the Salvage series were recently on display at Salon 94 Design’s FOG Design + Art group show. Oh’s designs can also be seen in the permanent collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Cranbrook Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and The Cooper Hewitt, and Smithsonian Design Museum.

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

abstract sculpture covered in strips of leather

To learn more about Jay Sae Jung Oh, visit saejungoh.com.

Images courtesy of the artist and Salon 94 Design. © Jay Sae Jung Oh. Photo: Ian Allen.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she's likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.