Yoshitoshi Kanemaki’s new sculptures feel like waking dreams.

Figures carved from single blocks of wood seem to refract like light through glass, their faces split into shifting layers, and mixed emotions.

Each piece hints at the many selves we hold inside: joyful, uncertain, restless, searching.

A stylized sculpture of a figure with multiple faces, dressed in a denim jacket and a pastel sweater, standing on a wooden base, conveying themes of identity and perception.
“Breathing Caprice A,” paint on Torreya, 135 x 75 x 55 centimeters

At the center of the show is his most ambitious work yet, asking the question we all wonder in silence: Who am I when no one is watching?

Sculpture of a girl with multiple faces, capturing various expressions, showcasing the theme of identity and perception.
Detail of “Breathing Caprice A,” paint on Torreya, 135 x 75 x 55 centimeters.

Kanemaki’s title says it best. “Insight” looks inward, while “Prism” bends and multiplies. Together they reflect the fragile beauty of perception.

“Insight Prism,” paint on Japanese nutmeg and katsura, 170 x 72 x 67 centimeters

Though the figures feel surreal, they hold you in place. They remind us how fractured, layered, and deeply human we all are.

Isn’t that what art is all about?

Detail of “Insight Prism”
“Reflection Prism,” paint on Torreya, 170 x 53 x 51 centimeters
Detail of “Reflection Prism”
Fragmented faces by yoshitoshi kanemaki
Detail of “Ulala Caprice 3rd”
“Ulala Caprice 3rd,” paint on Japanese nutmeg and camphor wood, 100 x 34 x 34 centimeters

See more of Kanemaki’s fascinating, deeply layered work on Instagram. Via Colossal:


All images © Copyright Yoshitoshi Kanemaki and FUMA Contemporary Tokyo.

Edited by Ben VanderVeen · About Moss & Fog

Author

Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

1 Comment

  1. Servando Varela Jr

    Amazing and Ilike it. Very thoughtful piece.

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