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
-
Recipe for Ichiraku Ramen from ‘Naruto’ by Danielle Baghernejad
Taken from the popular manga with the character of the same name who loves ramen, this dish is named after the hero's favourite restaurant.
-
Modernology, Kon Wajiro's Science of Everyday Observation
Makeup, beard shape, organisation of cupboards and meeting places: all of these details decipher 1920s Tokyoites.
-
Makoto Fujiwara, a Career Built on Stone
The book 'Stone and Makoto' retraces the sculptor's career in a series of 90 photographs, accompanied by accounts written by the artist.
-
How Lily Deakin Rediscovered the Carefree Spirit of Childhood Through Pole Dancing
Despite the hypersexualised clichés that surround it, this discipline that breeds physical strength and self-confidence is growing in Japan.
-
‘Chindogu’, the Genius of Unusable Objects
Ingenious but impractical inventions: this was all that was required for the concept to achieve a resounding success.