[MyPerson] Visiting Only Pop-up Store Dismantling Sites... "Transforming Discarded Materials into Artworks"

⑨ Funnyjun 'Popupcycling Artist'
"Focusing on Things Discarded and Left Behind"
"Good for Promotion... A Warning to Consumer-Centered Society"

Artist Funnyjun (Mr. Kim Wanjun).
[Photo by Funnyjun]

"It is good that each brand opens popup stores for promotional activities, but I thought it would be great to think together about how to solve the problem of all materials being discarded as waste after the event ends. We are recreating discarded, leftover, and unnoticed piled-up items into new works of art."

‘FunnyJun’ artist (real name Kim Wanjun), who was once a successful ‘promoter’ in the distribution industry, shed his title as a professional with over 20 years of experience last year and declared his life as a ‘popup cycling artist.’ FunnyJun defines a popup cycling artist as “someone who recreates discarded popup store exhibits into works of art.”

'Popup cycling artist' artist Funny Jun (Mr. Kim Wanjun) is looking at the promotional pop-up store for the cosmetic brand Missha's 'Gaeddongsuk' line products held in Myeongdong, Seoul, in January this year. Photo by Moon Hyewon

His main exhibition stage is the demolition sites of popup stores set up by small, medium, and large companies throughout the city. Various materials such as wooden boards used for exhibitions lasting from as short as one or two days to a week or about a month are all discarded after the event ends, amounting to an average of 1 ton. The reality, FunnyJun hinted, is that most of these materials are not recycled but thrown away. He also mentioned that the cost from installation to demolition is at least 60 million to over 100 million KRW.

FunnyJun said, “I felt the seriousness of the problem that numerous popup stores are immediately discarded after the event ends,” and explained, “After each event, I am creating the concept of popup cycling and planning exhibitions with the idea that leftover waste materials can be recycled not as waste but as materials for new exhibitions.”

Pebble cushions displayed at Missha's 'Gaeddongssuk' line product promotional pop-up store held last January in Myeongdong, Seoul. Photo by Moon Hyewon

Artist Funnyjun relocated the pebble cushions, which were installed at the Missha 'Gaeddongsuk' line product promotion popup store in Myeongdong, Seoul, in January this year, to Donuimun Museum Village in Jung-gu, Seoul last month, and transformed them into an installation art piece titled 'FoRRest' until the 5th of this month.
[Photo by Funnyjun]

His most recent exhibition was for the cosmetics brand Able C&C Missha’s popup store event ‘Missha Island’ in Myeongdong, Seoul. In January this year, Missha opened a popup store in Myeongdong, a popular spot for foreign tourists, to promote the launch of the new ‘Gaeddongsuk’ line. The materials used for this event were moved by FunnyJun and fellow artists to Donuimun Museum Village in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where they were reborn as an installation art exhibition named ‘FoRRest’ from the 6th of last month to the 5th of this month.

FunnyJun said, “If the materials used in the Missha popup store had been discarded as they were, it would have amounted to 3 to 4 truckloads of 1-ton trucks,” adding, “We prepared in advance to prevent disposal, reduced the amount of waste after the event, and recycled most of the materials.”

In fact, the FoRRest exhibition utilized most of the materials used in the Missha popup store in January, such as pebble cushions, artificial grass, tents, and wave LED lights.

FunnyJun said, “I thought it was a sin to turn a beautiful popup store that opens for just a few days into trash,” and added, “I will continue to plan various popup cycling exhibitions and deliver messages that will sound an alarm in our consumption-centered society.”