Japanese artist Nahoko Kojima’s giant new crocodile sculpture isn’t just notable for its intricate beauty - there's also the fact it’s made from just a single piece of paper.
Kojima’s work, which spans eight metres in length and is entitled Sumi, has been commissioned especially for Dulwich Picture Gallery and is made of one single custom-sheet of Japanese Washi paper and painted with black and gold using Japanese Sumi ink.
The artist is known for creating life-sized artworks of animals, having previously created a giant blue whale, a swimming polar bear and a leopard - all from paper.
She said her latest work: “This incredibly resilient animal arose well before us and has outlived the dinosaurs by some 65 million years. Humans have destroyed many animals, yet every one of the 23 species of crocodile exists today.
“They are known for their ability to thrive in even the most destabilised of ecosystems and last as long as humans yet exhibit no signs of agility loss associated with ageing. My work is about a timeless beauty and a celebration of nature.”
The new work, which spans eight metres, has been suspended in the entrance hall at Dulwich Picture Gallery on the same week as the gallery’s new exhibition about the art of linocutting.
Cutting Edge: Modern British Printmaking, which features work from the Grosvenor School of Art, was described as “a revelation” in the Standard’s four-star review.
