Though at first glance you’d think you were just looking at a bunch of colorful construction paper pieces neatly arranged on a blank white wall, come a little closer and you might notice a familiar face. Back in 2011, famed shadow artist Kumi Yamashita (who we wrote about here and here), was commissioned by American Express to create a unique work of art for their Tribeca, New York office lobby.
She first invited all American Express employees to be a part of her installation by taking a photo of their profile. Since the size of the space only allowed for 22 pieces, Kumi then chose 22 employee faces. Then, right on site, she worked with shadows and light to create these origami style pieces that, when hit with just the perfect light source, reveal actual faces!
If you’d like to see this artwork in person, sorry, you’re out of luck. Unfortunately, because of building security, you can only view the artwork if you are an Amex employee or doing business with Amex. In other words, it’s not available to the general public.
