Nahoko Kojima’s Monumental Yet Poetic Paper Sculptures
The artist reinvents ‘kirigami’, the art of cutting paper, in her colossal pieces that give off a captivating sense of fragility.
Courtesy of solokojima.com
Known for her many sculptures of flowers and animals, Nahoko Kojima, born in 1981, is reinventing kirigami, the art of cutting paper. Using techniques that are unique to her, she transforms washi (a type of artisanal Japanese paper) into an impressive polar bear that’s three metres tall, or a 32-metre-long whale.
This life-size whale, unveiled at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre in September 2018, catches the gaze particularly due to Kojima’s attention to detail: the whole surface is covered with complex patterns that demonstrate Nahoko Kojima’s dexterity. The immense sculpture made from cut paper therefore appears, in spite of its size, to float just above the ground.
Nahoko Kojima’s work can be viewed on her website.
Courtesy of solokojima.com
Courtesy of solokojima.com
Courtesy of solokojima.com
Courtesy of solokojima.com
Courtesy of solokojima.com
TRENDING
-
The Tattoos that Marked the Criminals of the Edo Period
Traditional tattoos were strong signifiers; murderers had head tattoos, while theft might result in an arm tattoo.
-
Tokyo's Transgender Community of the 1970s Immortalised by Satomi Nihongi
In her series ‘'70S Tokyo TRANSGENDER’, the photographer presents a culture and an aesthetic that are situated on the margins of social norms.
-
Kohei Yoshiyuki, the Voyeur of Tokyo's Voyeurs
The reedition of the publication ‘The Park’ takes us on a night walk through the parks of Tokyo, out in full sight.
-
Modernology, Kon Wajiro's Science of Everyday Observation
Makeup, beard shape, organisation of cupboards and meeting places: all of these details decipher 1920s Tokyoites.
-
Hiroshi Nagai's Sun-Drenched Pop Paintings, an Ode to California
Through his colourful pieces, the painter transports viewers to the west coast of America as it was in the 1950s.