Cast chromed ceramic lion head
fitted onto Fabricated acrylic backing
fitted with Murano neon glass forming the British union flag
Edition of 3 – 640mm x 678mm (Edition One SOLD)

In the past a mounted animals head would be displayed as a trophy. A symbol of the hunters power. In the Vatican the animal room is the arguably the best place to visit.

Christian Furr says ‘ I vistied Bodrum castle in Turkey. The construction of the three-storied English tower was finished in 1413. The western façade shows an antique carved relief of a lion. Because of this relief, the tower was also called “the Lion Tower”. Above this lion, one can see the coat of arms of king Henry IV of England and in the tower itself mounted stuffed lions heads are on the walls, hanging high. For over a century St. Peter’s Castle remained the second most important castle of the Order of the Knights of Hospitalier which they fortified in 1494. We have taken the lion symbol of the crusaders and given it a modern twist. Chris changed the shape of the shield into a heart shape and changed my initial neon teeth into a neon tongue with a lyrical curl.’

The shield, the symbol of defence and war has become a heart and has been electrified in neon. Now It’s about personal strength of heart ‘Lionhearted’ and it’s about love not war, Rock ‘n Roll not bombast

It’s about the artist and Rock n Roll and the uncontrollable id which is hinted at in the almost animated tongue. In a shamanic state we speak in tongues. The tongue is used for speech and pleasure and here it is highlighted in neon. A powerful icon for the 21st Century

It’s about the will to survive. It’s about Muddy Waters ‘tiger in your tank’. Irrepressible and mesmerising as neon itself. This piece celebrates the medium and the message.