From Rim to Sculpture!

When Rubber No Longer Meets The Road:
The Amazing Sculptures of Ji Yong Ho
Korean artist Ji Yong Ho may be one of the most interesting, and amazing, sculptors I’ve ever seen. He takes a hard to use material, like old rubber tires, and converts them into something entirely new. It’s like he breathes life into them. Ho shapes the old rubber, remakes it, translates it into muscles, bones, tendons, skin and fur. They are reborn, as he describes them, as mutants. His works vary greatly in size, from an 11-inch-tall dog to a 10-foot long shark.

My first impression of his work was one of interest. But the more I looked at it, the more I saw. And the more I liked it. I saw the detail. I saw the skilled use of texture. In short, I saw all the hard work.The physicality of getting, moving, breaking down and storing the tires. (It is something I know ALL too well! Trust me.) The cutting, organizing and prepping of the materials. Then, the layer by layer of rubber placed carefully by hand. That is a lot of time, effort and sweat equity. All that, and still the skill, the vision to create some amazing artworks. Ji Yong Ho, Give Us Art! salutes you!

-Savage1
www.savage1studio.com