Tatsuya Tanaka's Miniature World: How Broccoli Became a Tree and a Daily Calendar Became a Discipline
Tatsuya Tanaka, a miniature photographer hailing from Kumamoto Prefecture and born in 1981, studied at Kagoshima University. Initially, he served as an art director at a design firm before dedicating himself to miniature photography. In 2011, he introduced the MINIATURE CALENDAR, showcasing a new miniature creation each day. Utilizing a visual technique called mitate, Tanaka reimagines common objects—portraying broccoli as a tree and cake as a ski slope—while keeping their forms and textures recognizable. His work often incorporates food and elements of Japanese culture, earning him international exhibitions, commissions, and features in publications such as MINIATURE LIFE and MINIATURE TRIP IN JAPAN, along with contributions to NHK and Expo 2020 Dubai.
Key facts
- Tatsuya Tanaka was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1981 and studied at Kagoshima University
- He worked as an art director at a design company planning magazine advertisements before concentrating on miniature photography
- MINIATURE CALENDAR was launched in 2011 with the idea of publishing a new miniature work online every day
- Tanaka's practice is rooted in mitate, the Japanese concept of perceiving one thing as another through imaginative association
- Broccoli was the object he credits with first prompting serious thought about alternative interpretations of everyday things
- His materials remain recognizable rather than physically disguised, with shape, color, texture and structure suggesting a second identity
- Photography and lighting were largely self-taught, developing alongside his conceptual shift from figures to likening one thing to another
- His work has extended to the title sequence for NHK's Hiyokko, an opening film for Nihonbashi Takashimaya S.C., and the Japan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
- Book publications include MINIATURE LIFE, Small Wonders and MINIATURE TRIP IN JAPAN
Entities
Artists
- Tatsuya Tanaka
- Gisele Muller
Institutions
- Kagoshima University
- MINIATURE CALENDAR
- NHK
- Nihonbashi Takashimaya S.C.
- Japan Pavilion
- Expo 2020 Dubai
- AATONAU
Locations
- Kumamoto Prefecture
- Japan
- Kagoshima
- Mount Fuji
- Nihonbashi
- Dubai
- United Arab Emirates