Tung Ho Steel – International Artist Residency in Miaoli, Taiwan

Contemporary Public Art by Juanjo Novella – Large-Format Metal Sculptures from Recycled Steel

A unique creative journey in Taiwan

In Miaoli, Taiwan, Spanish sculptor Juanjo Novella was invited as an international artist by the Tung Ho Steel Foundation, embarking on a creative experience unlike any other in his career. Surrounded by industrial energy and supported by extensive production resources, he had the rare opportunity to work with scrap steel—transforming reclaimed metal into art of monumental scale.

Context: innovation meets industrial heritage

This residency project was set within the context of one of Taiwan’s leading steel producers, a space where industrial craftsmanship and contemporary sculpture converge. The Tung Ho Steel Foundation opened its facilities to create an environment of experimentation, encouraging the transformation of raw, recycled materials into new artistic expressions.

Technical freedom and material transformation

With abundant technical resources at his disposal, Novella explored new forms and techniques outside his usual creative range. Working directly with scrap steel—each piece marked by its previous life—he was able to reshape, cut, weld, and reimagine the material into a series of unique sculptures.

Experience: expanding artistic boundaries

For the artist, the residency was not just about creating artworks, but about expanding his own creative vocabulary. Each sculpture born from this process carried both the memory of its industrial past and the freshness of a new artistic language. The result was a collection of works that stand apart from his regular public art commissions, marked by spontaneity, experimentation, and a dialogue with the material’s history.

Symbolism: renewal and sustainability in art

By working with recycled steel, Tung Ho Steel embodies themes of renewal, sustainability, and transformation. The sculptures speak to the cyclical nature of matter—how what is discarded can be reborn into something with beauty, meaning, and cultural value.

Commissioning sustainable public art

This project demonstrates how site-specific large-scale sculptures can be rooted in sustainable practices without sacrificing aesthetic impact. If you are seeking how to hire a sculptor for a public art project that blends environmental responsibility with bold artistic vision, Juanjo Novella brings the expertise, creativity, and technical skill to make it a reality.