Look! Yuken Teruya's Toilet Roll Art

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Our favourite work of artist Yuken Teruya's Everyday Objects collection are his Corner Forest pieces, carefully cut papercraft artwork made from toilet paper rolls, delicately reminding us through his lovely craftsmanship that paper items were born from the life of trees. Nearly as striking are his Forest Series pieces made from disposable paper bags, alongside additional flora that springs forth from the front pages of the New York Times and form within the pages of books...

Teruya describes his own work as such:

Pizza Boxes, a McDonald's bag, Flags, Desserts and Toilet Paper rolls... when these items become artworks, they also easily become political, maybe because they are taken from daily life. But if you find unexpected shapes and colors from the toilet rolls, they become something else. It's not about politics anymore, and you can take out the idea of toilet paper roll to your house.

Without criticizing the present, I prefer to find new clues to problems that are likely to polarize.

I feel that my work shouldn't only have the function of conveying the artist's message. My works have a right to simply be beautiful or offer any kind of attraction.

No argument here...proof that beautiful things can be made from mundane everyday objects when we seek the unexpected.

[via booooooom.com]

Comments (11)

impressive and really rather beautiful as well as thought-provoking... but I wouldn't add them to my collection because I still see toilet paper rolls... (and I know that's the point, but not all art works as decor.)

posted by foodefafa on February 17th 2009 at 9:37pm
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I know that a lot of work and creativity went into making them, but it still looks like a toilet paper roll to me.

posted by suzy8track on February 17th 2009 at 10:20pm
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I cannot believe you posted this before Bethz had a chance!

posted by pinky speedway on February 17th 2009 at 10:29pm
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http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/the-gallery/the-gallery-yuken-teruya-072356

posted by K T G on February 17th 2009 at 11:52pm
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I agree with foodefafa and suzy8track, lot of work and creativity but still looks like t.p. rolls. unless there is a big call for them, i think it would be better to put them in the recycle bin.

posted by sassydo on February 18th 2009 at 7:27am
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wow talking about time consuming!

posted by Dayjay on February 18th 2009 at 9:01am
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i think these are absolutely stunning. the *LAST* thing i see is a toilet paper roll. I'd love a floor to ceiling tower of these (cat hair and dust, notwithstanding). just marvelous.

posted by trex466 on February 18th 2009 at 10:32am
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Isn't the appeal of Yuken Teruya's Everyday Objects that you can see that it's a toilet paper roll AND a delicate piece of art at the same time?

posted by luna on February 18th 2009 at 11:23am
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Beautiful...

posted by cafegurl19 on February 18th 2009 at 3:21pm
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wow.

posted by maike on February 18th 2009 at 3:59pm
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These are beautiful. I wonder if there's a way of adding lighting into the mixture so they also function as subtle lanterns.

posted by amazonikon on February 18th 2009 at 4:09pm
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