Strategically placed wooden blocks, a wrinkled bed sheet, or just a single piece of paper, that’s all New York City-based Japanese artist Kumi Yamashita needs to create stunning works of art out of light and shadow. By placing a single light source at just the right angle, Yamashita transforms what seems like a mess of incoherence into her delightful works of art. I’m floored by her genius to find a medium (shadow) and harness it into something so imaginative.
The artist carefully places what appears to be an erratic display of letter blocks against a surface.
She proceeds to shine a light on them from the perfect angle to turn their combined shadows into silhouettes of people.
Though they may seem quite random, each piece plays an integral part.
Altogether, they make up the stunning results.
The closer you get…
…the more obvious each piece’s importance becomes.
Even with single sheets of paper, Yamashita is able to crease them just right to create shadow faces.
There’s something undeniably remarkable about the way the artist is able to manipulate a single source of light.
She reveals characters hidden behind inanimate objects.
The optical illusions take shadow puppets to a whole other level.
Perspective is key.
This artist does more with a bed sheet and light than I could with all the art supplies in the world.
See more of Yamashita’s mind-blowing shadow art on her website or Facebook.