Sweet Sculpture

Japanese artist Shinri Tezuka works in a very quirky medium; candy. He honours the ancient art of amezaiku, which has been an integral part of Japanese culture for centuries.

Unfortunately, it has started to dwindle, but Tezuka sees the promotion and reinvigoration of the art-form as part of his job as an Amezaiku artist.

How exactly does it work? Well, the artist has to work against time in what is a rapid process, leaving no room for error. The taffy (the substance from which sweets are made) is heated until nice and malleable, and then the artist has around five minutes to knead and mould the taffy into the shape of his choosing. Using tweezers, scissors and then painting the taffy in whatever colours he/she may choose, Amezaiku artists typically create animals to appeal to children, after all, these are sweets and so this is their target audience.  The most popular design in the shop is the goldfish, however Tezuka also makes frogs, mice, cows, tigers and countless other animals.

When questioned on the temporality of this art form (the fact it is designed to be eaten afterwards), Tezuka reinforces that this makes it special; each piece will be unique and will then disappear forever.

A bizarre form of art, but one that intrigues nonetheless, and that carries a sweet aftertaste. See Tezuka in action here.