3-D Goldfish Art: Wait, Those Are PAINTINGS?
Riusuke Fukahori paints 3-D goldfish so real you can’t believe they’re not wriggling. And I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but the exhibit of his work going on RIGHT NOW at the Sano Art Museum in Mishima is so astounding, that in real life, the fish look more real than in the photos.
His 3-D works use real buckets, bowls and other containers to hold the clear resin on which he paints the fish art.
But how the heckin’ heck does he do it? According to the video showing at the exhibition, the fish are built up slice by slice, layer by layer, on paper-thin consecutive pours of clear resin. I watched him do it in the video, and I’m still UTTERLY boggled!
The main installation in this exhibit is a new work, the “shop” of an old-fashioned goldfish breeder…
But that’s not all!
And because this exhibition is his life’s-work-to-date retrospective, nearly everything he’s painted is on display in the adjoining galleries (where photos are not permitted, so these are from the exhibition catalog).
This isn’t my first Riusuke Fukahori rodeo – I’ve been jonesing for this giant show ever since being astounded by an earlier exhibit of his art in Yokohama a couple of years ago. I’m mourning his statement that he wants to move on from goldfish, but can’t help being excited to see what he does next!
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick View All
Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!
Jonelle Patrick's Only In Japan 
Hiya Got your new post about goldfish art being on until 2nd Sept. Just arrived at Hiratsuku Museum of art to find exhibition was last year!!! Aarrrgh! Maybe a glitch in a system somewhere. Perhaps let other people know?? Jane
I am so so so sorry, Jane! I’ve been traveling and just saw your comment, and you’re right! I am beyond horrified that I posted the wrong dates AND location for this exhibition. If I were in your place, I’d be so mad. I am deeply sorry. It was all my fault you wasted a day going all the way out there, only to be disappointed. I consulted the wrong event poster online when searching for the dates and train stop (I went with a Japanese friend by car, ARG) and there’s no excuse for making a blunder of that magnitude. I will never be lazy about translating event details from Japanese again. Please forgive this awful blunder, and I’m so sorry that my valuable lesson was learned at your expense. From now on, I will triple check all info, and if by some chance you live in or near Tokyo, perhaps you’ll give me a chance to make it up to you? (Or at least buy you a beer?)
These are gorgeous.
Thank you! I wish you could have been there to see them in person. Weirdly, the photos make them seem less incredible, because at first glance, they just look like shots of the real thing. On display, behind glass, you really get a sense of reality stopped, and a moment captured in time