Upcycling is becoming a big thing within the South Korean art scene in rcent years.
It's a new way of creating art work and going green at the same time...as artists produce their works using junk and scraps.
Cho Sung-min reports.

Upcycling is becoming one of the most popular techniques for local artists.
It's when you create a work of art by re-using all kinds of thrown-out materials.

A perfect example would be the works of artist Lee Dae-seung.
Whether it is a broken clock, a cutting board or plastic trays,... he's used materials that could be easily found in a junk yard, and turned them into canvases depicting flowers and the natural scenery of traditional Korean folk painting.

Recently displayed at a gallery in Seoul,... his works symbolize harmony between nature and the industrial goods we use on a daily basis.

"The materials I used are just as they were when first found. I wanted to show my work on canvases with no frames,... so I chose the cutting board and the trays."

Another example is this lighting ornament made out of parts from a broken bicycle.
The artist polished the parts and put them together in her own way.
Her other works include a bracelet made out of bike chains, and a pencil case made from a rubber tire.

"Bicycles get discarded every day, so there's no shortage of supply. I like how the bikes are structured, and I also like to tear them down piece-by-piece and then put them into different shapes."

Industry experts say upcycling could become more than just an art trend in Korea because it conveys the message that anyone can be an artist,... and it's also a good way of preserving the environment.
Cho Sung-min, Arirang News.