Following last time, I will introduce the lion series, the largest of the carnivore series.

Lion 8, 2009, Used tire, Stainless steel, 500(l) x 170(w) x 215(h) cm, 197(l) x 67(w) x 85(h) in.
Real Lion : Maximum 250 cm

Normal lions maximum size and grow up to 250 cm, but JI YONG-HO’s mutation lions are up to 5m, which is twice the size of a real lion.

Lion 9, 2016, Used tire, Stainless steel, 450(l) x 170(w) x 210(h) cm, 177(l) x 67(w) x 83(h) in.

There are a total of 10 works in the Lion series. If you look at < Lion 9 >, you can see the body parts that were aggressively transformed in < Lion 7 > and < Lion 8 >, and through the figure of roaring with thicker thighs, torso. You can see the appearance of a lion who has become more aggressive. The wide open mouth and big sharp fangs show the instinct and inner side to express anger.


Lion 9 Detail view

The male lion’s mane protects the neck and back from enemy attacks. In , the mane is expressed thicker and sharper, and now appears as a part of the skin rather than a hair.

Lion 1, 2007, Used tire, Steel, Styrofoam, Wood, 128(l) x 50(w) x 62(h) cm, 50(l) x 19(w) x 24(h) in.

In addition to male lions, the artist also produced lionesses, but in fact the first start of the series of lions was the sitting < Lion 1 > lioness.

Lion 6, 2011, Used tire, Steel, Wood, Polyurethane form, 163(l) x 35(w) x 75(h) cm, 64(l) x 13(w) x 29(h) in.
Female Lion

While male lions were made several times larger than the actual size, the size of the female lions was smaller than the actual size. < Lion 6 > was made about 1/3 the size of male lions. The thorns on the back of the lioness show a change to protect themselves in the world of the weak and lean.

Lion 3, 2008, Used tire, Stainless steel, 360(l) x 120(w) x 120(h) cm, 141(l) x 47(w) x 47(h) in.
Lion 4, 2008, Used tire, Stainless steel, 415(l) x 105(w) x 157(h) cm, 163(l) x 41(w) x 62(h) in.

In contrast to the aggressive forms of lions shown above, they produced works that were defensive and underdog-like in the early days of the production. It’s < Lion 3 > and < Lion 4 >, which are crouched under threat from the enemy. The artist expressed this with a lower back, a lowered posture, and a tail that went down to reveal it in a formative way.

Lion 2 installation view
Lion 2, 2008, Used tire, Stainless steel,, 390(l) x 122(w) x 190(h) cm, 156(l) x 50(w) x 71(h) in.
Lion 9 installation view

JI YONG-HO’s lion series with these characteristics were installed outdoors and introduced to people as public art overseas and domestic, and received a lot of response. According to the concept of a large size and lion, it has been exhibited on the grassland and in the plaza and people touch, ride on top, enjoy his work.

In the next issue, we will introduce the Shark series, which can be seen as the artist’s signature work, along with the Jaguar series.