The Japanese illustrator known as Avogado6 uses the language everyone understands—and that is no language at all. It’s probably because the delicate topics and complex emotions he conveys are too difficult to describe with words, so this artist chooses thought-provoking visual stories in his unique style. Most of his illustrations are like pills, each containing the flaws of our society and mental struggles. And I must admit, some of them are really hard to swallow. His emotion-fueled, dark, and disturbing illustrations talk about things you wish no one relates to; however, it’s a pretty accurate, yet haunting, depiction of the depths of our world.
Propelled by precious memories of loved ones lost, Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto creates in order to preserve and cherish those sacred remembrances too often forgotten with time. Best known for his painstakingly crafted salt installations which he often shapes into labyrinthine patterns, the artist has recently completed a piece for a solo exhibition at the Setouchi City Museum of Art titled Sakura Shibefuru. In this latest installation, Yamamoto crafted over 100,000 fallen cherry blossom petals out of salt.
Did you ever blow on dandelions as a child? The sight of their fluffy seeds floating in the air is one of life’s simple pleasures and has inspired Japanese artist Shota Suzuki. The Kyoto-based creative pays homage to the humble dandelion with his incredible metal sculptures.
Weeds such as dandelions are often considered undesirable in a garden, but Suzuki hopes his sculptures will encourage people to appreciate the “plants on the roadside.” To begin, the artist walks around his neighborhood in search of the weeds in yards or sidewalk cracks. He then heads back to his studio to begin recreating the delicate botanicals in metal. Suzuki captures their underrated beauty by sculpting their stems, flowers, buds, and even their tiny seeds from brass, copper, and
Suzuki begins each piece by cutting out the shapes from a metal plate before using a hammer and a chisel to add realistic texture. His metal leaves feature thin veins, and petals appear to delicately curl up at the ends. Even the tiny seeds look as though they could float away. Depending on the sculpture’s final design, more than a hundred individual metal parts are brazed and assembled.
Suzuki colors his sculptures using chemical processes such as rusting, sulfurization, and oxidation. He also creates patinas that are traditional in Japan, such as tanpan coloring and niiro, which traditionally uses daikon juices to alter the metal. The results create elements that look just like their real counterparts. Each tarnished and textured leaf and stem features a rich array of natural hues, as well as subtle golden accents.
Suzuki doesn’t only create dandelion sculptures; he produces all kinds of botanicals in metal. “I am more interested in the state of plants that change and live every day in nature than in the appearance of plants themselves,” he tells My Modern Met. “Flowers bloom, and from full bloom, they quickly bud, leaf, color, and wither. When the wind blows, the stems sway and dance, and petals and dead leaves dance in the air like circuses.” The artist adds, “The ever-changing appearance of nature is not the same as an instant, it’s very beautiful, therefore I am impressed with the mysteries of life.”
Check out Suzuki’s striking flower sculptures below and find more of his work on his
Artist Shota Suzuki captures the underrated beauty of dandelions with his incredible metal sculptures.
Each individual element is cut from bass, copper, or silver.
Suzuki colors his sculptures using chemical processes such as rusting, sulfurization, and oxidation.
The artist hopes his life-like sculptures will encourage people to appreciate “plants on the roadside.”
When he’s not sculpting dandelions, Suzuki creates works inspired by other flowers and leaves.
Emma Taggart is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. Originally from Northern Ireland, she is an artist now based in Berlin. After graduating with a BA in Fashion and Textile Design in 2013, Emma decided to combine her love of art with her passion for writing. Emma has contributed to various art and culture publications, with an aim to promote and share the work of inspiring modern creatives. While she writes every day, she’s also devoted to her own creative outlet—Emma hand-draws illustrations and is currently learning 2D animation. Read all posts from Emma Taggart LIKE THESE SCULPTURES? SHARELIKE MY MODERN MET ON FACEBOOK GET OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTERBECOME A MY MODERN MET MEMBERAs a member, you’ll join us in our effort to support the arts.BECOME A MEMBER Explore member benefits
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Kiyomi is a Japanese artist that creates the most intricate miniatures that look like 18th-century furniture. She is so dedicated to her hobby she wakes up as early as 4 am to start her work. Kiyomi is mainly inspired by early industrial age, and we’re sure if you saw these figures up close you would think it’s definitely a real thing. Her work is not only extremely detailed, it has a vintage vibe to it which makes her work look even more delicate. Her work will definitely bring you to Victorian England or Revolution-era France. Scroll down to these ones of a kind figures yourself!
Rui Sasaki is a Japanese artist who creates breathtaking glass sculptures for over 15 years now. The artist has created many impressive sculptures throughout the years, and one of the most impressive ones has to be her Liquid Sunshine installation: a series of phosphorescent glass bubbles that illuminate light as a visitor enters the room.
When creating this installation, the artist asked herself “How can I visualize sunshine in glass?”. Rui was interested in using phosphorescent glass to capture sunlight, as she did not get much of it in Toyama. “Living in a cloudy environment helped me realize how vital sunshine is for me both mentally and physically,” explained the artist. Each of the bubbles is charged using a solarium light that shuts off as soon as a visitor enters the room, leaving only the glass orbs to light up the place. The space then slowly gets darker as the light slowly diminishes.
Takahiro Shibata is a Japanese animator and modeling artist who is known for his crazy Japanese culture-inspired creations. Just a few days ago, the artist shared photos of his latest creation – a face mask for people who wear glasses that looks like a steaming bowl of ramen. “The more clouded the glasses are, the hotter the ramen looks,” joked Takahiro. I’m pretty sure everyone who wears glasses on the regular will be able to relate. The mask went viral almost instantly, receiving nearly 250 K likes in just a few days. Sadly, although Takahiro sells a lot of his creations on his online store, the ramen mask isn’t available for purchase yet.
This time, we want to present an incredible gallery of pictures of… paintings. Although it might be hard to believe these were actually painted by a human hand, this is a true representation of the beauty and power of talent and hard work. Japanese painter Kei Mieno creates painstakingly detailed and realistic paintings that can be easily mistaken for photographs. Let’s admit, the kinds of photographs not everyone would be able to take.
Haruki Kudo is a 20-year-old Japanese artist who creates stunning colored pencil drawings of cats that you might mistake for photographs at first glance. And it’s not hard to see why – his drawings are meticulously detailed, and the amount of effort that the artist puts into each one of them is absolutely incredible.
This Japanese artist creates paper cutouts that they then fill in using landscapes and the environment around them. The artist named Kotetsu especially enjoys nature backgrounds, but we can also see many architectural designs. Kotetsu’s characters are anime-inspired and they come to life and are filled with color by the many backgrounds the artist uses for them. Pencils or pens would probably not be able to imitate that.
Winter is often associated with snow—whether you live in warmer climates or have to struggle with the cold for a better part of the year, snowflakes likely remind you of the brilliant white winter. And while some see the beauty of the season, others find a unique opportunity to show off their creative side.
Of course, we’re talking about the elusive art of snow sculpting. Probably everyone has built a snowman at least once in their life—there’s something inherently fascinating about taking a fluid material and creating something concrete and, frankly, fun! However, as with many things, there are professionals next to whom our snowmen look like stickmen in front of the Mona Lisa.
That’s exactly the case with this Twitter user whose works became viral. The user going by the name of @mokomoko_2015, a self-proclaimed snowman artisan, showcased their talent by making beautiful snow sculptures inspired by various fandoms, including Pokemon and Ghibli. There’s even a Godzilla or two!
Shota Suzuki: 
