The Small Forest is an exhibition featuring a series of animal sculptures by Japanese artist Natsumi Tomita created with found objects and salvaged scraps. Using anything from a broken umbrella and bike parts to discarded cans and kitchen utensils, the gifted sculptor manages to reproduce the likeness of various creatures with a playfully creative aesthetic.
The clever creations are an amalgamation of unconventional items found in the street that have been repurposed and, thus, given a new life. The artist says, “Each of these things, which we usually use everyday, once had a story, until they were thrown away. There are bicycles that were once ridden, broken dustpans, signboards from loan sharks, lost umbrellas. Every object had purpose and meaning before they were tossed away. Taking these things that I collect, I connect them and create new life from them. For this reason the animals that are born in this way are my children. I have given them each a name, and they all live together in the living room of my house.”
A selection of Tomita's wonderful work is currently on display at Galerie 412 through September 14, 2013.
