For SangDoo Nam, art should intervene in people’s lives and be actively shaped by them. His installation Urban Flowers functions like a pop-up store: visitors are invited to share their own story and exchange it for one of the displayed images. They may take the image with them, while their story remains behind, becoming visible to everyone who comes after.
The wooden structure consists of 25 blocks, 20 of which are connected to form a “coin”. At first, images hang on the front and back of the blocks; through the exchange for personal stories, they gradually disappear until all blocks are filled with the stories of visitors. The process is inspired by the principle of blockchain, as used in Bitcoin or non-fungible tokens (NFTs). SangDoo Nam translates this into physical space, combining architecture, painting, coding, and artificial intelligence.
As the collection of personal stories grows and the displayed images continually change, art becomes a social practice that makes a collectively generated value visible.
Part of the exhibition Media art is here (2026).
Exhibition dates: 13.08.2026 – 13.09.2026
Location: Kirchplatz St. Stephan
Supported by the UNESCO City of Media Arts Karlsruhe Project Funding Program for Media Arts 2025.