TOSHIO HAGIO

Toshio Hagio (b.1987) has been fond of characters such as Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Godzilla since the age of three. He was particularly fascinated by monsters that appear in TV shows, and would amuse himself by fashioning monsters from damp dishcloths from the kitchen, dividing them into enemies and allies and making them fight. Because dishcloths are difficult to keep in shape, he is said to have begun using advertising paper with cellophane as a material from around the first year of elementary school. He has a strong attachment to advertising paper, and among these, he considers department store flyers to be the best in terms of malleability and overall quality and has continued to use them for more than twenty-five years. Referring to TV programmes, videos, and illustrated reference books, he modifies the forms, considers the placement of colours, and repeatedly folds and rolls the paper.

Each figure takes approximately one hour to complete. His monsters have gradually evolved over time into sharper and more slender forms, which he thinks looks cooler. Once completed, Hagio eagerly immerses himself in playing with the monsters which are very durable due to the tightly rolled advertising paper and firmly wrapped cellophane.

Click the thumbnails to see larger images and more details. Further artworks are available on request.

2022 Changing Forms, Shibuya Parkside Gallery, Tokyo
2015-16 Creativity Beyond Imagination, Saga Prefectural Art Museum, Japan
2015 This, That Is, a Living Being, Borderless Art Museum NO-MA, Shiga