Miniature Life Exhibition Shows Whimsical Uses of Everyday Items by A Japanese Artist

Tatsuya Tanaka is a Japanese artist that’s an expert at looking at small things and creating a whole world out of them.

More: Tatsuya Tanaka, Instagram h/t: grapee

The miniature artist is the creator of the on-going “Miniature Calendar” series, where he finds creative uses for everyday objects by having very tiny figures interact with them. The figures—some of which are no larger than his own thumb—can be seen doing very human actions, such as waiting on chairs, surfboarding, or hanging around a park. It’s only upon closer inspection that you realize the chairs are binder clips, the sea is a pair of pants, and the park is a mosquito coil.

Since he started creating and photographing his art in 2011, he’s gained 2.6 million followers on Instagram, has been commissioned for work by large Japanese companies and has started an exhibition that’s had over a million visitors in Japan and abroad.

Tanaka’s work is clearly varied in form. He doesn’t just show that he’s capable of depicting everyday human actions, but that he can also create entire cities and sceneries if he wanted to.

On his website, he brings up a very common thought that might have given birth to his whole series. He says, “Everybody must have had thoughts like these before: Broccoli and parsley may sometimes look like a forest of trees.”