Japanese artist Yoshitoshi Kanemaki chisels these impressive life-sized figures from a single piece of wood. They are portrayed in a realistic manner, but Kanemaki gives his sculptures unique traits. Every impeccable artwork features two or more characters or expressions that are merged into one form. Sometimes, this means that an individual has multiple faces attached to their head, while other times parts of their body is joined with another person.
To craft this work, Kanemaki carves and chips away at a large log. The bark is stripped from it, and he sketches the form onto the wood. From there, he transforms the material into a smooth surface that captures the subtle details of the human body.
There are numerous ways to look at Kanemaki’s surreal sculptures. The different facial expressions circulate 360 degrees around the figures, and it’s as though we’re seeing these people in a film, frame by frame. Unlike their faces, their bodies remain in the same static pose, and it clues us in that there’s something strange about these pieces.
