ART
Japan's Aluminium Artists
From the time aluminium first become commercially available in the 19th century, artists began taking advantage of this lightweight, durable, and highly malleable material as a modern vehicle for expression.
24 February, 2016
The statue of Eros in London's Piccadilly Circus, unveiled in 1893 and a fixture in the city since, was the first sculpture in the world to be cast in aluminium.
Today, as what was once a rare and expensive metal has become a ubiquitous part of our everyday lives, artists all over the world have embraced aluminium as a material they can easily mold and re-form into just about any shape imaginable. Two Japanese artists working on different sides of the world have typified this trend in spectacular fashion: Berlin-based Toshihiko Mitsuya and online sensation Makaon.
Toshihiko Mitsuya, born in 1979 and a 2004 graduate of the Seian University of Art and Design in Otsu, Japan, has long embraced aluminium as one of his preferred mediums. Working primarily with aluminium foil, Mitsuya has earned considerable attention by cutting and folding this household item into hundreds of medieval figures, mythical creatures (including dragons), and other surreal forms.
Toshihiko Mitsuya, born in 1979 and a 2004 graduate of the Seian University of Art and Design in Otsu, Japan, has long embraced aluminium as one of his preferred mediums. Working primarily with aluminium foil, Mitsuya has earned considerable attention by cutting and folding this household item into hundreds of medieval figures, mythical creatures (including dragons), and other surreal forms.
Thanks to the ease of shaping foil and its high level of shine, Mitsuya is able to use it to convincingly depict weapons and armor. At the same time, he is also able craft it with such a high level of detail that hair, feathers, and other minute features are beautifully captured.
One of the highest-profile exhibits to feature Mitsuya's work to date was "The Aluminium Garden," which was put on display in September 2015 at Studio Picknick in Berlin. The "garden" consisted of 180 structural studies of plants that the Japanese artist hand-made out of aluminium foil. Thanks to the flexibility of the aluminium foil, Mitsuya's individual foil plants could be carefully arranged to create a unified landscape from the perspective of the visitor.
One of the highest-profile exhibits to feature Mitsuya's work to date was "The Aluminium Garden," which was put on display in September 2015 at Studio Picknick in Berlin. The "garden" consisted of 180 structural studies of plants that the Japanese artist hand-made out of aluminium foil. Thanks to the flexibility of the aluminium foil, Mitsuya's individual foil plants could be carefully arranged to create a unified landscape from the perspective of the visitor.
Aluminium is a surface material shaped by the forces around it. Far from static, it takes on the feeling of its surroundings, the wind, the light and the hands that touch it. As a material, aluminium starts in a huge factory and ends in something precious yet transitive: the installation reclaims an industrial material back to nature.
Toshihiko Mitsuya
Japanese Artists
While Mitsuya's breathtaking foil creations are often massive in scale, the miniature aluminium figurines created by Makaon are much smaller in scale. Once again, however, it is a household object that receives pride of place in Makaon's work. Starting with aluminium beverage cans and other everyday materials that would usually be bound for the trash bin, the artist transforms them into incredible likenesses of iconic film, television, and video game characters.
Under Makaon's skillful hand, an old Asahi beer can transforms into Star Wars villain Darth Vader while a Coca-Cola can becomes a vivid red cap for Nintendo's Mario. Other characters brought to (miniature) life using the same methods include Batman, Pikachu, and Toy Story's Woody and Buzz Lightyear. By putting recyclable waste to such memorable use, the Japanese artist gives recycling a whole new meaning.
Under Makaon's skillful hand, an old Asahi beer can transforms into Star Wars villain Darth Vader while a Coca-Cola can becomes a vivid red cap for Nintendo's Mario. Other characters brought to (miniature) life using the same methods include Batman, Pikachu, and Toy Story's Woody and Buzz Lightyear. By putting recyclable waste to such memorable use, the Japanese artist gives recycling a whole new meaning.