Watanabe Yoshihiro

Photo: Yoshikazu Shiraki

Watanabe has been interested in bugs, animals, and all manner of living creatures since early childhood. After encountering paper cutting and folding around age ten, he naturally began creating representations of animal life. The exhibition features Watanabe’s folded-leaf sculptures, or “oriha,” which can be traced back to a single sawtooth oak tree at the special needs school Watanabe attended when he was 12. In November, Watanabe would collect the fallen leaves and trim off the jagged edges. He would then fold them by hand, without scissors or glue, blowing on the leaves to adjust the moisture content. His inventive techniques have allowed him to make elephants, tigers, sheep, giraffes, monkeys, and more. Each sculpture offers a glimpse into a miniature world with vibrant, intricate details that capture the characteristics of its subject.

プロフィール

b. 1989 in Kumamoto Prefecture. Watanabe has been fascinated with living creatures since childhood. He creates representations of animals in various materials. In his first year of junior high school, Watanabe participated in Attitude 2002, the commemorative grand opening exhibition of the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto. He has continued to exhibit since. His past exhibitions include the solo exhibition Animals Brought to Life with Scissors (Hasami de inochi ga fukikomareru dobutsutachi; +Plus Showroom, Tokyo, 2016) and the group exhibition Art as It Is: Expressions from the Obscure (University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, 2020).

[Past work] “Oriha Folded-Leaf Animals,” 2012–2022, sawtooth oak leaf. Photo: Shiraki Yoshikazu

[Past work] “Elephant,” sawtooth oak leaf. Photo: Shiraki Yoshikazu

[Past work] “Lion," sawtooth oak leaf. Photo: Shiraki Yoshikazu

[Past work] “Elephant,” sawtooth oak leaf. Photo: Shiraki Yoshikazu

[Past work] “Lion," sawtooth oak leaf. Photo: Shiraki Yoshikazu