One Japanese artist transforms sticky adhesive tape into works of art.

TOKYO, JAPAN (DECEMBER 20, 2008) REUTERS -
The Nerima Art Museum, built upon the grounds of the company which
went on to become Japan's first sticky tape manufacturer Nichiban, hosted an
exhibition by an up-and-coming Japanese artist who is devoting his life to
creating and spreading what is being termed here as "Cellotape Art'.

The Ryo Sehata Cellotape Art Exhibition which kicked off on Thursday
(December 18) and runs through February 15, displayed about 50 art sculptures
and works, many of which at first glance seem made of an organic liquid that
somehow eventually solidified.

However, when you pay closer attention to the surface of the objects
and visitors start noticing that each piece is composed of solely sticky tape
--the Japanese brand "Cellotape" to be precise.

Even a former worker at a local stationary shop was taken by surprise.

"I used to work in a stationary shop for the past couple of
decades but as someone selling this (cellotape) I had no idea it could be used
like this. For me it's what children use to sticky tape things together. The
fact that it could be made in to art was beyond the scope of my
imagination," 64-year-old former stationary shop worker, Hiroko Iwasaki
told Reuters as she browsed through the exhibition.

While many of the pieces are organic abstract shapes, some are eerily
realistic and even resemble babies or animals.

Thirty-four year old Ryo Sehata says he gets inspiration of the final
form of his artwork as he goes through the actual process of pain-stakingly
taping piece by piece of Cellotape together. He is a go with the flow type of
artist as he never works with a fixed idea of the complete form. An average
piece like the "Rolling Sculpture.24", which he was finishing up for
the exhibition when Reuters visited him recently, began as a small ball of
tape in 2006. Two years and 4,000 rolls later, Sehata calculates he's rolled
up 140 kilometres of adhesive tape to create his art.

He admits his mind-boggling art comes at a price.
"As you can see my hands are criss-crossed with scars and my
fingers can hardly move thanks to reparative strain injury (RSI) so its no
joke that I have poured blood and sweat in to my art pieces," Ryo Sehata
told Reuters at his atelier in his Tokyo suburban home ahead of the
exhibition.

But when asked why he sticks to this art form, Sehata compares it to
long-distance running.

"It"s like a marathon. After a certain point it the
experience actually starts becoming pleasant and once I get to that point its
basically like a runner's high and that's when the momentum gets going and of
course, when I complete the project there is certainly this sense of
accomplishment," he said.

Sehata also finds contentment in creating copy-cats of his work or at
least disciples.

Every weekend, during his exhibition he holds work shops to teach
others how to crinkle tape into master-pieces.

On Saturday (December 20) his exhibition room was overflowing with
want-to-be students ripping through cellotape rolls as fast as they could
crumple them into shape.

Many visitors were simply amazed at the versatility of the simple
stationary item.

"I thought this was only to stick stuff together, it was actually
fun to make something completely different out of it," said Akiko
Shimano, a 38-year-old visitor to the museum.

For the younger visitors, it was an education in art.
"It's the first time I've been in a museum like this and I loved
all the different shapes there was," eight-year-old Sayaka Fujiyama told
Reuters as she and her friend rolled up a large ball of tape.

Ryo Sehata himself began working on small tape creations at around the
same age as many of the children that take part in his workshop, where he
hopes to find the next generation of tape artists from this.