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a detail of a plush blue ammonite and worm
Detail of “Ancient Diorama Ammonite.” All images © Hiné Mizushima, shared with permission

Hiné Mizushima Felts Whimsical Sea Creatures Adorned with Beads and Crocheted Detail

Grace Ebert

Nested in one of Hiné Mizushima’s wooden dioramas is an ancient marine menagerie. Vibrant blue felt lines the walls of the plush environment, which houses a pair of ammonites along with tall seagrass and small bits of coral reef.

From her Vancouver studio, Mizushima stitches whimsical renditions of underwater creatures. Her soft, fiber sculptures take a playful approach to natural life, sometimes perching an octopus atop a human heart or finding a moray eel slithering out of an artery. Often depicted in pastel colors and adorned with beads and crocheted details, the creatures are friendly and even glitzy interpretations of their real-life counterparts.

The works shown here will be on view in Mizushima’s solo show Creatures and Curiosities on view from September 14 to October 22 at Boris Zakkaten in Tokyo. Find more on Instagram.

a diorama in a wooden box of a plush blue and green ammonite and other marine creatures
“Ancient Diorama Ammonite”
a black spotted white eel emerges with an open mouth from a blue aorta on a beaded blue heart. the sculpture features venus fly traps in blue and yellow at the top and stands on a wooden pedestal
“Heart Moray Eel”
a detail image of a black spotted white eel emerging with an open mouth from a blue aorta
Detail of “Heart Moray Eel”
a diorama in a wooden box of a plush pink squid, white squid, and other marine creatures
“Ancient Diorama Squids”
a detail image of a pink squid holding a worm with blue crochet below it
Detail of “Ancient Diorama Squids”
a red octopus sprawls across a beaded red and pink heart, which stands on a wooden pedestal
“Heart Ocotpus”
a white squid sprawls across a beaded green heart, which stands on a wooden pedestal. there are small pink and red beaded arteries dangling from the organ
“Heart Squid”
a detail image. a white squid sprawls across a beaded green heart, which stands on a wooden pedestal. there are small pink and red beaded arteries dangling from the organ
Detail of “Heart Squid”
a collection of felted insects with various entomology tools and glass jars
“Bugs 1”
a collection of felted insects
“Bugs 2”

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