Motohiko Odani

Today's Japanese artist is Motohiko Odani. (小谷元彦）

Odani was born in Kyoto, and received both a BA and MA at Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music (which I just realized was the school I have dreamt of attending! Ha. They changed the name.) He primarily creates sculptural art, but also occasionally branches out to photo, video, or whatever suits his inspiration. 

Much of his art is based around the body, and often utilizes repetitive elements of the body to create elaborate forms. Since my favourite "colour" is white (you will probably be seeing more white/pale things!), I absolutely love his installation of white things, which I believe to be called "Phantom Limb," but I could be mistaken.

These figures are constructed from a combination of Fibre-Reinforced Plastic (FRP), paint, and other media. With this material, he has created a massive collection of tiny strands that give a drippy, rippling appearance. 

It astonishes me how much detail and painstaking effort went into this, as I understand FRP is a difficult and stubborn media to work with. Odani's highly detailed work epitomizes why so many of my favourite artists are Japanese. 

Although all of the intricate white things are what got me hooked, he has many other interesting works of art that you should check out. I won't overload you with images here! 

All images are from the page for Motohiko Odani on the Yamamoto Gendai website.