Mutation Of Contemporary Sculptures By Yong Ho Ji

Ho’s concept of mutants grew out of his life in Seoul, where there is fierce political debate over genetic engineering. In school, Yong Ho read Darwin and was galvanized by how his theory of evolution applied to man’s manipulation with nature. Already, he says, cats and dogs are bred to emphasize their domesticated traits and downplay their wild sides. The sculptures can be taken as warnings; if we’re not careful, we may soon lose the ability to see animals in their natural state altogether.
Yong Ho grew up by a school for children with Down’s Syndrome, and the children made an impression that stays with him to this day. “Their smile is very pure. I try to relay that in my animals—the look in their eyes. Somewhat sad, somewhat vulnerable.” He chooses animals that are often seen as “monsters,” then obsesses over every detail—each muscle, sinew and marble eye—to try to “restore them to their natural beauty.”
At first, people found his aesthetic strange, but that’s starting to change. A shark he sculpted recently went for $145,000 at auction But the artist seems oblivious to this. “I’ve been making art non-stop since I was five. Nothing’s changed between then and now. The passion has always been the same.”