For over 13 years, Japanese artist Tatsuya Tanaka has been captivating audiences with whimsical scenes crafted from miniature figures and household objects. His ongoing project, Miniature Calendar, features a new image every day, proving that his imagination and dedication to his craft knows no bounds. Occasionally, Tanaka takes his creativity a step further by creating scenes to commemorate special events. His latest collection honors the Paris 2024 Olympics, with intricate depictions of tiny athletes competing in various sports.
From little gymnasts catapulting across a piece of toast to a minuscule fencer sword fighting with an earphone jack, each scene reimagines Olympic sports in a totally unexpected way. Household objects are brilliantly repurposed to become sport props and arenas—whether they be a basketball court or a swimming pool. And tiny figurines are cleverly posed to look right at home on their surfaces. One image even turns a TV remote control into a climbing wall for a miniature rock climber.
This isn’t the first time Tanaka created an Olympics-themed series either. In 2020, the prolific miniature art master celebrated the games in Tokyo with a similar collection of images. Other recent, non-Olympic-themed works include a percussionist using an onion as a drum, and a miniature lady using half a grape as an umbrella.
If you're in Japan, you can marvel at Tanaka's minuscule creations at his Miniature Life, Mitate Mind exhibition in Tokyo throughout August 2024. It showcases around 160 miniature works, all being displayed in Japan for the very first time.
For now, you can check out the artist’s clever collection for the Paris 2024 Olympics below and find more of his incredible work on Tanaka’s Instagram.
Japanese artist Tatsuya Tanaka created a series of miniature scenes to celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Household objects are brilliantly repurposed to become sport props, swimming pools, gymnastic spring floors, and more.
And miniature figurines are cleverly posed to jump, run, swim, and more on their surfaces.
Each small-scale scene is more imaginative than the last.
Tanaka’s creativity is clearly limitless and captures the joy of the Olympic Games brilliantly.
Tatsuya Tanaka: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Tatsuya Tanaka.
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