“The Knight” Sculpture by József Szabó Trash Works Industrial 2024

Constructed from discarded mechanical and industrial components, the sculpture transforms gears, machine parts and fragments of steel into a distinctive anthropomorphic figure. A large toothed gear forms the base, while elongated mechanical elements create the body and smaller components suggest the arms, head and armor of a standing knight.

Szabó’s work is characterized by his imaginative reuse of discarded machinery and metal components. Rather than disguising the original function and history of these materials, he incorporates their shapes, textures, oxidation and traces of use into his sculptures. Individual mechanical parts remain recognizable at close range, while together they form an expressive new figure.

József Szabó is a Hungarian metal artist and the creator of Trash Works Industrial. With a professional background in metalworking and experience with machinery and custom motorcycle construction, he began developing his sculptural practice around 2019. His works are created primarily from discarded machine and vehicle components, giving obsolete industrial materials a new life as figurative sculpture.

His sculptures have been presented in exhibitions in Hungary, and his work is also represented by Cure Gallery. Szabó’s practice occupies an interesting territory between contemporary assemblage, found-object art and traditional metalworking.