For several years already, I have been following the Instagram account of Tatsuya Tanaka, a miniature artist who always creates great photos and is known for his unique and imaginative miniature worlds. His ability to transform everyday objects such as fruit, vegetables and household items into living stories has brought him international recognition and also the opportunity to make his works accessible to the public in exhibitions. I visited his current Miniature Life exhibition in Tokyo (my fifth exhibition of his since 2017) and would like to give you an impression of it here.
Who is Tatsuya Tanaka
Tatsuya Tanaka was born in Kumamoto, Japan in 1981 and is a miniature photographer and artist. In 2011 he started his art project “MINIATURE CALENDAR”, in which he reinterprets everyday objects as something different. He presents his creations daily on the internet on his website and his Instagram account, which currently has almost 4 million followers. He transforms everyday objects into creative miniature scenes that are not only small works of art, but also tell stories on a tiny scale. With a keen eye for detail and a remarkable imagination, Tanaka creates scenes that are both humorous and thoughtful.
Mitate Mind Exhibition Tokyo
The exhibition 田中達也展 みたてのくみたて MINIATURE LIFE・MITATE MIND is running at Nihonbashi Takashimaya (8th floor) from August 1 to 28, 2024. Admission at the entrance costs 1,200 yen per person. We visited the exhibition on a weekday and since it is summer vacation, it was quite busy even then.
In this exhibition, Tanaka presents an impressive collection of about 160 of his works that offer viewers a new perspective on the beauty of everyday life. These are not only the photos he created, but also the miniature works themselves. The exhibition is divided into seven categories: HOME, FORM, COLOR, SCALE, MOTION, LIFE and WORLD. In addition, the entire exhibition is bilingual – explanations are available in both Japanese and English!
Photography is allowed in the exhibition, which I personally enjoy the most because it allows you to slip into the role of the artist and take photographs from different angles and perspectives. After our visit, I had almost 200 more pictures on my smartphone. I would like to show you some of them here.
In addition to the miniatures, you can always see, in a frame on the wall, what Tanaka’s photo looks like in the end. There is also a description of the picture and the title. I am always fascinated by the Japanese and English names of the works, which are sometimes quite different but still make sense. But they are usually funnier in Japanese.
The COLOR section of the exhibition shows pictures and works divided into different color schemes. Here are overviews for red, blue, green, yellow, white and black:
Another highlight of the exhibition is that there are special photo spots where you can have your photo taken and become part of the works yourself. Haven’t you always wanted to sit on a toast couch or ride a “glasses bike”? And what do you think of my new yellow corn bag?
Where can you see Tanaka’s works?
Tatsuya Tanaka has regular exhibitions that you can visit. You can find a detailed and up-to-date overview on the official website.
One exhibition is currently taking place permanently at Kobe Airport. There is an area with miniatures that are themed around the topic of flying, but also one that deals with the city of Kobe itself. There is also a large broccoli statue that you can use as a photo spot.
In addition to special exhibitions, Tanaka also has three solo exhibitions that take place at different locations. The most recent of these is Mitate Mind, which is the subject of this article. There is also Miniature Life and Miniature Life 2, both of which I have visited over the years. Over time, new exhibits will be added and some will be replaced.
Your next chance in the Kanto region is the Miniature Life 2 exhibition, which will take place from September 11th to 23rd, 2024 at Yokohama Takashimaya. Otherwise, no other dates have been announced until 2025: in spring in Tottori and in Taiwan.
If you have the chance to visit an exhibition by Tatsuya Tanaka, I can really recommend it. I hope I was able to give you a taste of what’s to come here.