Pixel Bear
Once the wood carving of a bear was extremely popular as the go-to souvenir from Hokkaido. However, with the passage of time they have steadily become forgotten. This work re-creates the wood carving of a bear. It is cut into the shape of a cube, and it is digitally processed making it look like an NES bug but at the same time it has something nostalgic about it. The bear has been given new life, and it also has the wish of the artist who wants the bears that wander into people’s houses to the be taken back to the mountains.
Artist Profile
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Kenichi Nakatani
木彫熊作家 中谷健一
Born in 1969 in Hokkaido, Japan. Graduated from Hokkaido Technical High School and moved to Tokyo where he established Handyman Satoken. Began putting on exhibitions for Hokkaido folk art and artists who make wooden bear sculptures.