Yoshio Midori's Lovely Penguins
Irorimura sits tucked beneath the railroad tracks like an Emperor chick balancing on Daddy's feet. The gallery's rooms shake with each passing train; but the walls are sturdy, and the hanging art shows no inclination of falling. The rooms across the courtyard are less turbulent, and in one of those rooms is where I found the penguins.
Sculpted from paper clay by Tokyo artist Yoshio Midori, the penguins hop, dive, slide and snuggle in the center of the exhibit. The soft, rounded representations are simplistic but easily identifiable. I was thrilled to see all penguin species represented-- even the rare Yellow Eyed Penguins! The exhibit also showcases other clay creations such as feisty cats and adorable snub nosed dogs.
I couldn't resist buying the artist's recently published book, Lovely Penguins, a combined exhibit catalogue and how-to guide. Looks like I need to pick up some clay.
