稲葉 友宏

source: thisiscolossal

These wire sculptures by Tomohiro Inaba appear to be the 3D manifestation of an illustrator gone mad. Each sculpture appears to start off anatomically perfect, a delicate fawn nibbling in the grass or a sinister black skull resting on its chin, but each devolves into an impossibly complex tangle of steel wire that twists vertically into the sky like violent pencil scribbles.
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source: emilymaywordpress

The modernist sculptor Tomohiro Inaba creates heavy substantial pieces of steel that look as if they could dissipate in a second, the steel just about to float away from us. The transience in which his skulls evoke is similar to the popular use of skulls in 17th century still life painting. In the 1600’s artists use skulls as a ‘memento mori’ to warn the viewer of the painting that life is short and to not indulge in the material aspects of life; the notion is ironic considering a painting is in fact a luxurious material of life. Inaba’s skulls give the sense of fleeting life not because of their possible symbolism but because of the whimsical way in which the artist has cast the steel, to feel lighter than air as if it is going to drift away with the wind. It may be directional but the deer and legs that he has created look not as if they are about to float away but that they are being created in front of our eyes. The density of the steel from top to bottom is just so that it creates the look of movement downward and any second there will be a fully formed figure standing there.

Inaba is a Japanese artist with very little written about him. Articles have been tweeted and posted with just the pictures of his 2011 work but hardly any biographical information is available, even on his own website. Below I have provided the original link in which I found his work and his website. ENJOY!
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source: nodamogenkidesublog58fc2

　2年前に県芸術祭賞を受賞した文星芸術大学院生の稲葉友宏さん＝写真＝の個展が25日から10月5日まで、ギャラリー・イン・ザ・ブルー（宇都宮市東宿郷3―1―9あかねビル1階、ＪＲ宇都宮駅東口から徒歩六分、Tel.０２８・６３５・５８３２）で過去5年間の作品を集め開かれる。
　高校時代から彫刻を始め、大学入学と同時に宇都宮市民芸術祭賞を受賞。高校時代は、大谷石やテラコッタなどで制作していたが、大学入学後は、「自由にならない金属の扱い方の難しさに惹かれ」鉄での彫刻を始めた。「鉄は酸化して朽ちてもいく。血の通うようなところが魅力」と話す稲葉さん。
　創作の始まりは、ひとつのキーワードから物語を構築し、イラストを描き、造形へと向かう。すべての作品には彼なりの詩や物語があるが、「見てくださる方一人ひとりに思い思いの物語を紡いでいただき、豊かな時間を過ごしてもらえたら」と、2年後の彫刻家デビューを前に販売もするが、「まず、気軽に会場に来て、見て感じてもらいたい」という。