Minature Masterpieces: Minature Life Exhibition 2ーTatsuya Tanaka's World

Kimberly Matsuno (Niigata)

When I think back to dinner time with my family as a child, I mostly remember lukewarm soups and halfeaten sandwiches. It’s not because my mother was a poor cook. In fact, it was quite the opposite. But what my mother saw as well-balanced meals, my brother and I saw as construction sites, forests, and painting canvases. We would spend more time playing with our food than eating it—turning mounds of mashed potatoes into canyons featuring rivers of gravy, and constructing bridges out of boiled carrots for little pea-people to cross.

Maybe you were also a potatoPiccasso as a child, or maybe you imagined laundry baskets as fighter jets or turned your father’s socks into puppets—holes and all. No matter the medium of choice, there is no doubt that children’s imaginations are crazy yet beautiful tools capable of turning everyday objects into creations of fantasy and whimsy.

Science has proven that creativity and imagination are inherent human abilities but only grow under proper environmental conditions (1). Adults often stifle children's imaginations by pressuring them to return to reality and adapt to social norms. But this is something that Japanese photographer Tatsuya Tanaka wants to resist. Tanaka is someone who still sees broccoli florets as trees and ice cream cones as mountains. Using his art, he wants to “make you see a little more fun from the objects around you.”

Born in Kumamoto prefecture in 1981, Tanaka’s hobby of creating dioramas and collecting miniature figures quickly became his career shortly after he graduated from university. While he worked as an art director at a design firm, he began taking pictures of the scenes he created out of everyday items. Since 2011, he has been uploading these images daily and has quickly gathered a large following—3.5 million and counting on Instagram alone (myself included).

Over 1.5 million of these fans have attended his exhibits throughout Japan and abroad. I had the opportunity to see his art in person when one of his exhibits opened in Niigata. The exhibit, titled MINIATURE LIFE Exhibition 2 Tatsuya Tanaka World, features over 130 pieces—some of which are photographs, while others are dioramas.

Part of the exhibit giving a peek into Tanaka’s photo studio set-up.

A miniature version of the “button cherry blossom tree”.

The entire exhibit allows for photography, and some works are interactive. Situated at the entrance to the first gallery, a giant tree with pink buttons representing cherry blossoms allows visitors to feel like miniatures themselves and sets the tone that this exhibit is one in which to have fun. And having fun is not hard to do when looking at pirate ships sporting fried chicken sails and tiny Draculas popping out of chocolate bars.

While Tanaka designs his art to be easily understood, he is also thoughtful and kind enough to provide English translations for all of the titles and descriptions throughout the exhibit. Which is a good thing as the titles of his works are as creative as the images themselves—with nearly every title featuring a play on words. Though, to be honest, the puns are much better in Japanese as the English translations often fall flat or lack puns entirely.

Many of the Japanese visitors chuckled At titles such as “ケーキの良いデパート” (“Keiki no Yoi Depato”) while I stood there confused, wondering what was funny about the English version of the title, “Urban Confectioner.” For those who also don’t understand the Japanese pun, “ケーキ” (keiki) means “cake” but it can also mean “a profitable business”—or so I’m told.

To Tanaka’s (or the translator’s) credit, some of the English titles do convey the intended humor. For example, an image of cafe customers seated around a magnet was entitled “Customer Attraction.”

When attending one of Tanaka’s exhibits, I recommend you not only pay attention to the works and punny titles but to the frames which house the photographs as well. Many of the frames contain small miniatures in the corners, which build playfully off of the image and add to the whimsy of the exhibit.

While Tanaka’s works are whimsical in nature, he’s not afraid to shy away from serious topics. Some of his recent works have included a Tokyo 2020 Olympics series featuring masks—providing commentary on how the ever-present concerns of COVID deeply impacted the sporting event. He also posted a powerful image on his Instagram account denouncing the war in Ukraine. Another exhibit of Tanaka’s in Dubai showcases global issues—ranging from the melting of polar ice caps to the growing collection of junk in space.

But whether humorous or serious in tone, Tanaka hopes that his works convey the idea that “with a little change of view, you might recognize that the world is filled with interesting things." I think that his exhibit certainly accomplishes that. Or, at the very least, it has me looking at my mashed potatoes differently again.

In the future, Tanaka hopes to have exhibits outside of Asia and even have his works in public parks and places people can visit easily. In the meantime, you can purchase Tanaka’s works, including his books “Miniature Trip in Japan” and “Miniature Life at Home,” on his website, and you can view his images posted daily on Instagram.

Sources: Journal of Education and Learning

MINIATURE LIFE Exhibition 2 Tatsuya Tanaka's World (9/16-10/30 Nagano-Ueda City Museum of Art)

MINIATURE LIFE Exhibition Tatsuya Tanaka's World (4/23-5/30 Tottori-Yonago City Museum of Art)

MINIATURE LIFE SEOUL in BUSAN (4/1-6/6 Busan-Shinsegae Centum City)

MINIATURE LIFE Exhibition 2 Tatsuya Tanaka World (3/19-5/15 Niigata, Niitsu Art Museum)

Kimberly Matsuno is in her third year in Japan and has loved every minute of it. She enjoys hiking and exploring everything Japan has to offer. When not planning her next trip or trying to recreate that one thing she ate at that one restaurant, you can find her spending way too much money on stationery at her local LOFT.