If you go one station past Euljiro 4-ga subway station in the direction of Jamsil, you will arrive at Dongdaemun Stadium subway station. This is where three subway lines (Line 2, Line 4, and Line 5) intersect, and the transfer area is wider than at any other junctions. Although there is no officially designated meeting place in the station, there are two octagonal chairs. People meet here because of these chairs, but due to the large number of people passing through this spot, two chairs are not enough. Several new grotesque chairs were recently installed here: The Toilet Chairs by Jung Ran Lee. They are works of art, yet simultaneously practical chairs for visitors to use. In this regard, the toilet chairs are examples of public furniture that fulfill social demands. While institutionalized art often distances itself from social demands, public furniture reveals social functionality in reverse. It occupies a dual position as both furniture and art, while also maintaining critical distance from everyday life. Obviously, the central motif of this work is the toilet, which is an everyday object manufactured for the benefit of the human body. They are familiar objects, but they are not regarded as important. However, this work considers an essential aspect of life: the relationship between the biological human body and the social function of toilets. Lee has placed somewhat unusual objects toilets in public spaces, thus resolving the isolation of toilets.
