When art and nature are put together as one, the result is always astounding. Montreal-based artist Raku Inoue proves that nothing is more beautiful as an art medium than those that come from nature. In his Natura Insects series, the experimental artist uses several types of freshly-cut flowers to create colorful insect sculptures.
Born in Tokyo, Inoue moved to Montreal when he was 9 years old. Growing up, he was influenced by both cultures, the Japanese origami and the Canadian graffiti. As a budding artist, he felt that these two different types of arts have a connection to each other. Apart from these cultural influences, he also finds great inspiration from nature and began experimenting with raw materials in most of his works. In 2017, he started working on his Natura Insects series. It is a collection of hand-arranged insect sculptures made with real plants and flowers.
Stag Beetle
Beetle
Throughout the years, Inoue foraged his own backyard to collect petals, buds, leaves, and tiny stems. He then puts his artistic creativity to use by carefully arranging the raw materials to create different types of insects. From beetles and ladybugs to butterflies and dragonflies, he creates each winged creature by using floral elements. Colorful petals and leaves make up the insect’s wings while fragile twigs make up their legs, pincers, and antennae.
Raku Inoue’s Natura Insects series is a collection of insect sculptures made from hand-arranged floral elements
Kabutomushi (Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle)
Butterfly
Dragonfly
Just like delicate flowers, these floral insects, no matter how beautiful they are, will not last forever. For Inoue, the ephemerality of his artworks is what makes them more beautiful. And it’s all about appreciating the present and making the best out of it. You can see all of his floral insects included in the Natura Insects series on his Instagram page. You can also buy the Natura Insects prints on the artist’s website for $25 per piece.
Ladybug
Black Widow
Moth
Firefly
Source: Instagram | Behance | Reikan Creations