From Surplus to Art: Meet the Industrial Artist on the OCO Team

Every day, OCO Industrial helps manufacturers keep their lines running. We supply the connectors, lighting, electrical components, machine parts, hardware, equipment and much more that keep the industry moving.

But what happens to all of that material once it has done its job?

For most companies, the answer is simple: it gets scrapped. For one member of our team, it's the beginning of something new.

Meet Serjik León

Many of you already know Serjik as your OCO sales rep, the person who tracks down the part you need and gets it to your door. What you might not know is that he is also a Mexican/American artist and the founder of Serjirism Industrial Art.

Serjirism is an artistic movement that transforms industrial surplus and manufacturing castoffs into contemporary art. SMT stencils become glowing chandeliers. Pallet racking becomes towering installations. Industrial vents become giant, luminous eyes. Thousands of salvaged LEDs become a single work of light.

"I've always had a unique relationship with materials most people overlook," says Serjik. "Industry creates incredible things, and even the leftovers have a story. My work is about giving those materials a second life."

Where industry meets art

Serjik's path makes this connection natural. He holds a degree in business with a focus on operations and supply chain management, an MBA from Porto Business School, and a background in the arts. Before OCO, he worked in construction and in an art studio as an assistant, but when he got into OCO and saw the magnitude of industrial materials, his mind was blowned away.

He founded Serjirism in 2021. Since then, his work has been exhibited in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. In 2025, the El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department (MCAD) commissioned a Serjirism installation for Chalk the Block in downtown El Paso, built from pallet racking, industrial vents, SMT stencils and LEDs.

Today, the Serjirism Art Gallery & Installation Showroom in Central El Paso hosts exhibitions, cultural events, workshops and lighting experiences, all built from upcycled industrial materials.

Why this matters to our customers

The industrial world produces enormous amounts of surplus. Much of it is still beautiful, precise and full of potential. Serjirism is a reminder that sustainability isn't only about using less. It's also about seeing value where others see waste.

At OCO, we see the same components Serjik works with every day: the LEDs, connectors, wire sleeving and racking that power your operations. It's exciting to see them turned into something that moves people.