yasuaki onishi drips hot glue to create a crystallized forest

vertical emptiness, 2013
353 x 980 x 905 cm
tree branch, glue, urea
kyoto art center, kyoto japan
photo by oshima takuya, courtesy of yasuaki onishi

japanese artist yasuaki onishi‘s ‘vertical emptiness’ surrounds the viewer in a massive sculptural artwork made up of hundreds of hanging layers of melted hot glue. the fine strands of the transparent material are carefully strung from upside-down tree branches hanging from the gallery ceiling, then coated in urea, a molecule in the crystal structure. the result is a dense, willow-like forest that engrosses the viewer in an immersive white brush. the intricacy and fragility of the piece are dramatic visual characteristics, and the natural materials which it uses as a support system connect it to the environment. ‘vertical emptiness’ is currently exhibiting at the kyoto art center.

vertical emptiness, 2013
353 x 980 x 905 cm
tree branch, glue, urea
kyoto art center, kyoto japan
photo by oshima takuya, courtesy of yasuaki onishi

vertical emptiness, 2013
353 x 980 x 905 cm
tree branch, glue, urea
kyoto art center, kyoto japan
photo by oshima takuya, courtesy of yasuaki onishi

vertical emptiness, (detail) 2013
353 x 980 x 905 cm
tree branch, glue, urea
kyoto art center, kyoto japan
photo by oshima takuya, courtesy of yasuaki onishi

vertical emptiness, (detail) 2013
353 x 980 x 905 cm
tree branch, glue, urea
kyoto art center, kyoto japan
photo by oshima takuya, courtesy of yasuaki onishi

vertical emptiness, (detail) 2013
353 x 980 x 905 cm
tree branch, glue, urea
kyoto art center, kyoto japan
photo by oshima takuya, courtesy of yasuaki onishi

vertical emptiness, (detail) 2013
353 x 980 x 905 cm
tree branch, glue, urea
kyoto art center, kyoto japan
photo by oshima takuya, courtesy of yasuaki onishi

vertical emptiness, (detail) 2013
353 x 980 x 905 cm
tree branch, glue, urea
kyoto art center, kyoto japan
photo by oshima takuya, courtesy of yasuaki onishi