yuichi ikehata’s digitally distored hybrid humans are sculpted with wire + paper 
(above) ‘fragment of LTM3’
all images courtesy of yuichi ikehata

 

 

 

the series ‘fragment of LTM’ (long term memory) by japanese artist yuichi ikehata relays a haunting sense of human decay, combined with a futuristic feeling that our bodies may not be what they seem. ikehata’s sculptural works deftly fuse digital and physical components to form surreal portraits that are neither decidedly real or fictitious — rather a combination of both.

 

the images that comprise ‘fragment of LTM’ begin as wire, paper and clay forms, carefully sculpted into anatomical frameworks of human arms, legs and heads. following their physical realization, ikehata digitally adds hyperrealistic photographic elements like skin, eyes, hair and nails to the network of twisted metal cables. 

yuichi-ikehata-body-part-sculptures-fragment-of-LTM-designboom-01‘fragment of LTM’

 

 

 

‘the world of reality and non-reality,’ yuichi ikehata says, ‘is very intimate, so it is not too much to say that they are almost one. we touch non-reality with reality as a key, and sometimes touch reality using a key of non-reality. reality is beautiful, sad, funny and complete…fragments cut from reality already show a fictitious world. I collect the fragments, edit, arrange and capture them. it is just a pure myth. however, it is my real world.’

yuichi-ikehata-body-part-sculptures-fragment-of-LTM-designboom-03‘fragment of LTM8’

yuichi-ikehata-body-part-sculptures-fragment-of-LTM-designboom-09‘fragment of LTM7’

yuichi-ikehata-body-part-sculptures-fragment-of-LTM-designboom-04‘fragment of LTM6’

yuichi-ikehata-body-part-sculptures-fragment-of-LTM-designboom-05‘fragment of LTM5’

yuichi-ikehata-body-part-sculptures-fragment-of-LTM-designboom-06‘fragment of LTM4’

yuichi-ikehata-body-part-sculptures-fragment-of-LTM-designboom-08‘fragment of LTM2’

yuichi-ikehata-body-part-sculptures-fragment-of-LTM-designboom-02‘fragment of LTM9 ‘