Japanese Artist Turns Paper Cups, Food and Cigarette Ash Into Playful Works of Art

Japanese Artist Turns Paper Cups, Food and Cigarette Ash Into Playful Works of Art

We don’t know much about Shin except that he’s Japanese, lives in Kyushu and is 23 years old. We also know that he enjoys turning everyday objects in his house – cigarettes, apples, bread – into dynamic, 3-dimensional works of art that have found an endearing home onTwitter and Instagram, where the artist posts his creations.

But more than anything, Shin’s multilayered method of storytelling using paper cups has so far proven to be his most creative use of disposable materials.

Shin first draws on and carves into the paper cups, an act made possible only by intricately planned scenes. He then stacks the cups on top of each other and turns them one at a time to reveal a multi layered story unfold. Watch till the end to see how he cleverly uses the inside and bottom of the cup.

So far he’s used the classic cartoon character Doraemon, and the more recent One Punch Man as inspiration for his creations.

the paper cups, when disassembled, looks like this (photos via @shin___geki)

Although acknowledging that its hazardous to his health, Shin also uses cigarettes, and the ash from smoking them, to create realistic portraits of famous characters. After his smoke he’ll meticulously separate the grey ash from the black ash and then use the 2 colors to create grey-scale portraits that include likenesses of Steve Jobs and Johnny Depp. Shin’s New Year’s resolution for 2016 is to stop smoking.

Steve Jobs made from cigarette ash. But as far as we know the founder of Apple never smoked cigarettes.

Admitting that it’s sometimes out of boredom, Shin occasionally has been known to play with his food too. You can keep up with Shin and his eclectic artwork on Twitter andInstagram.