This has to be one of the coolest cases of recycling that we’ve ever seen. These sculptures are the work of Korean sculptor Yong Ho Ji. The weirdest thing about the whole thing isn’t even the art, it is the inspiration. Yong had a long standing childhood memory of the spare tire in the back of his family’s Jeep Wrangler. How he got from there to here… who the hell knows, but we’re all thrilled that he did.
There is actually more to these statues than just the rubber. Each piece takes several months and starts with a frame that is made from iron, wood and soil. The Tires are brought in to give an extremely realistic and dramatic muscle look to each piece.
We just think they are ridiculously cool, but Ho Ji sees a greater meaning behind his work. To him, the tires represent an “important link between industrialization and environmental degradation”.
