Insects Metamorphose from Bamboo in Noriyuki Saitoh’s Meticulous Sculptures
Acrocinus longimanus (harlequin beetle), bamboo. All images © Noriyuki Saitoh, shared with permission
Noriyuki Saitoh’s (previously) fascination with insects and painstaking attention to detail transforms delicate pieces of wood into intricate sculptures. Using a range of bamboo materials, including thin paper, he carefully carves the architecture of dragonfly wings, mantis legs, and beetle antennae. While primarily made from wood, he sometimes adds other tiny materials like stone to accentuate the specimens’ eyes.
Explore an ever-growing ecosystem on Saitoh’s website, where he often documents biological facts about each animal and photographs their dramatic interactions.
Left: Tenodera sinensis (Chinese mantis), bleached bamboo, 90 x 92 x 67 millimeters. Right: Aporia crataegi (Black-veined white), bamboo and bamboo paper, 30 x 40 millimeters
Tenodera aridifolia (Japanese giant mantis) holding Auritibicen bihamatus (cicada), bamboo
Anoplophora malasiaca (citrus long-horned beetle), bamboo, 40 x 48 millimeters (antennae length: 80 millimeters)
Sinictinogomphus clavatus (golden flangetail), bamboo, 100 x 125 x 60 millimeters
Ceratocrania macra (Malaysian ghost mantis), bamboo
Cyclommatus elaphus (deer stag beetle), bamboo, bamboo paper, and blue tiger eye, 100 x 95 x 40 millimeters
Cyclommatus elaphus
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