Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Yong Ho Ji’s Haunting Mutant Sculptures Made From Recycled Tires

Korean artist Yong Ho Ji creates animal/human hybrids made out of recycled tires. Ji calls his variations "mutants" in order to refer to both their hybrid forms and their recycled medium. “My concept is mutation,” Ji says, “the end product is technically from nature; it is made from the white sap of latex trees but here it has changed. The color is black and the look is scary."

Korean artist Yong Ho Ji creates animal/human hybrids made out of recycled tires. Ji calls his variations “mutants” in order to refer to both their hybrid forms and their recycled medium. “My concept is mutation,” Ji says, “the end product is technically from nature; it is made from the white sap of latex trees but here it has changed. The color is black and the look is scary.”

Ji looks to create a variation of carnivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous animals, as well as arthropods, fish and hybrids of such animals. By pasting and reshaping strips of used tires onto molds and frames he makes himself, Ji mimics the way real skin and muscles move and hang on to animal’s skeletons. The process is labor intensive. However, his realistic, detailed approach makes his work that much more surreal.

Ji’s choice of materials and concepts alike poses interesting questions regarding mass production, technology and genetic engineering. While the constant production of new tires can be seen as a symbol of consumerism, Ji’s hybrids showcase the incessant human desire to “play God” and challenge nature’s will through advanced technologies.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Gunjan Aylawadi's intricate paper-weaving technique produces vibrant, surprising creations. In each work made by the artist, born in India and now based in Australia, seems to defy its materials and exists “between craft traditions, sensory pleasures she experienced growing up and the new culture she finds herself in now.” In a recent show, she continues her evolution into work that extends beyond two dimensions.
Éric Nado disassembles typewriters and creates provocative guns from their parts, a different take on how the power of words can outweigh manmade weaponry. Elsewhere, he crafts femine figures out of sewing machines, an "homage to feminism in the working class." All stems from his knack for creating "robota" out of salvaged and recycled material.
At first glance, the Kaitlyn Schwalje sculpture “Unfit for Consumption” appears to tell a parable of some sort. The top of the piece scene seems serene, with grazing boars and a strange liquid form taking shape. Yet, a more ominous narrative forms when one looks below. The truth is that Schwalje’s sculpture has even stranger, yet real-world origins.
Pop surrealist Ron English recently erected a massive pair of sculptures in China. But shortly after installation, the giant-sized MC Supersized and Liberty Grin characters faced an issue. “Although the statues, produced by Poplife, were legally sanctioned, local authorities ordered their removal shortly after installation, citing concerns about SCALE!!!” the artist wrote. On Wednesday morning, they were up, but by 10 p.m. that evening, they were gone. English was last featured on HiFructose.com here.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List