Installation view of 《MUTANT．COLOUR》 © Soka Art

All 12 works in Ji Yongho’s solo exhibition sold out
 
“I’m still a bit stunned by the unexpected luck at the Taiwan exhibition. Major Taiwanese collectors purchased all 12 works—from a 4-meter large-scale piece to smaller works—worth around 700 million KRW. Including the works sold at this year’s Hong Kong Art Fair and Christie’s auctions, at least 20 pieces are expected to be installed in overseas corporate lobbies or museums by the end of the year.”
 
Sculptor Ji Yongho (31), who recently returned from his solo exhibition held at Soka Art Center in Taiwan through the 20th under the theme of “mutant,” said this with visible excitement on the 27th. He added, “Not only were all exhibited works sold out, but I’ve also received reservations for six additional pieces,” explaining that “the use of ‘waste tires’—a byproduct of modern industrial society—as a unique sculptural medium seems to have attracted significant interest from Taiwanese collectors.”
 
Among Korean sculptors, having all exhibited works sold out before the end of an overseas exhibition is only the second case, following sculptor Kim Seon-gu, known for his horse sculptures, whose works sold out during his solo exhibition at the Ningbo Museum of Art in Zhejiang, China, in December 2007. This complete sell-out of Ji’s works is particularly meaningful in that it demonstrates the Taiwanese art market’s recognition of Korean artists. It is especially notable as a valuable achievement made possible through the support of his representing gallery, Gana Art Gallery.
 
Ji is an artist who uses the unconventional medium of “waste tires” instead of traditional sculptural materials, while continuing the lineage of traditional sculpture in his method of representing subjects. Over the past three years, six to seven works from his “Mutant” series have been consecutively sold at Phillips auctions in New York and Christie’s in Hong Kong, drawing attention both domestically and internationally. In particular, his large-scale work Shark was sold for 145,000 USD at a contemporary art auction held by Phillips in New York in November 2007, earning recognition for its artistic value.
 
“Until now, I have mainly created animal sculptures such as sharks, deer, and rhinoceroses, but through this exhibition, I have begun to fully develop hybrid forms of humans and animals. By directly observing animals or studying books and video materials, I was able to imbue the immobile tire object with a sense of movement. I sculpted the skeleton and muscles separately in an anatomical manner and then assembled them, which gives the work a vivid sense of vitality. In this way, the muscles seem to come alive and writhe.”
 
He explained that he sought to express the bulging vitality characteristic of Michelangelo’s classical sculpture through tires, in order to explore themes of desire and power hidden within human beings under the concept of “mutant.” Through his waste tire works, he emphasizes communication between nature and humanity, as well as the meanings of environment and regeneration.
 
He added, “I’ve often heard from Taiwanese collectors that my works successfully incorporate a certain continental sensibility,” suggesting that this may be because the works internally satirize human desire and power. Having studied at Hongik University and later at New York University, he plans to hold exhibitions in Hong Kong next August and in Seoul in 2011.

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