Elegant Animals Commune and Contemplate in Hand-Carved Wooden Sculptures by Nikichi

A carved wood sculpture of two polar bears embracing.

All images © Nikichi

From the long, graceful turn of a rabbit’s ears to the cozy embrace of polar bears, Nikichi summons the emotional nuances of intimacy, solitude, and contemplation in his delicately carved sculptures. Carefully exposed wood grain shapes knees and cheeks, paws clasp together in repose, and winged visitors perch on delicately-hewn noses.

The Hokkaido-based artist has been sculpting animals for around a decade, interested in the ways that people relate to fluffy, recognizable creatures like bunnies and cats by anthropomorphizing their expressions and actions as a means of understanding and connecting to them. He fuses human and animal characteristics to explore what he describes as “the story of human sociality and life by overlapping the wildness and instinctiveness of animals,” populating a harmonious, mythical world.

Find more of Nikichi’s work on Instagram.

A carved wood sculpture of a stylized rabbit meditating or praying.

A carved wood sculpture of a stylized cat wearing a red top.

A carved wood sculpture of two polar bears embracing.

A carved wood sculpture of a stylized rabbit with a rose in its mouth.

A carved wood sculpture of a stylized rabbit with a butterfly on its nose.

A carved wood sculpture of a stylized rabbit wearing wellies and holding a bird in its paws.

A carved wood sculpture of a stylized animal-human figure with a yellow dress and bare feet.

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