DUPLICATE FEATURES

Based in Chiba, Yoshitoshi Kanemaki carves small, disturbing forms that allure to the duality he finds. “Looking deep into the world in which we live, we realize that everyone holds hesitations or contradictions that can never be reconciled”, he says. And so he attempts to project those emotions onto his sculptures, which he carves out of single blocks of hinoki wood.
The wooden characters are surreal in form with multiple limbs, duplicate features, and recurring faces that wind entirely around their bodies. Whether conveyed through kaleidoscopic or blurred techniques, each portrait “expresses the dignity of life as a human being, the hate and harassment that people experience, and the importance of environmental awareness”, the artist says, explaining: it’s the hesitation, contradiction, two-sidedness…

[Source: Spoon & Tamago / Colossal]

Discover more about Yoshitoshi Kanemaki on Behance

ALL IMAGES © YOSHITOSHI KANEMAKI