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Associated Press

A frog holding a taro-leaf umbrella. A parade of frolicking animals. A ukiyo-e style Mount Fuji. Giant waves.
A Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito carves these delicate designs on fallen leaves, giving life back to them.
The world of Lito’s delicate art, which he began in 2020 and posts on social media almost daily, has won fans from around the world.
The leaf art has also given him solace after earlier struggles with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a purpose in life – the joy of making people happy with his art.



He enjoys working at night. He picks a leaf from a pile treated with a chemical that prevents them from wrinkling, and places it on a cutting board.
First, he outlines the design on the leaf with a pen in his right hand. Then he takes a design knife in his left hand and starts cutting the leaf carefully. Slowly, the leaf begins to take the shape of a frog carrying an umbrella.
More complex, highly intensive work on a single leaf can take more than eight hours to complete.
His leaf-cutting works include titles such as Scrolls of Frolicking Animals, Leaf Aquarium, and Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Each piece includes his own twists, and often uses animals.
“I would rather finish it in one go when I am focused,” says the 38-year-old. He chooses not to disclose his real name for personal reasons.



Since childhood, Lito says he has had high levels of concentration and patience. But he had trouble fitting into what was considered the norm at school or at work, despite all his efforts. He struggled to interpret others’ feelings and avoid confrontations.
After years of difficulty, he went to a hospital at age 30 and was told he had ADHD, a diagnosis he felt explained why he has always done things differently.
He saw no point in forcing himself to do things the same way as other people, and began to adjust his life.



In early 2020, Lito came across the art of leaf cutting. He saw it as the perfect use of his patience and concentration.
Word of his skills has spread across social media, and he has published books on his leaf-cutting work. He holds a near monthly solo exhibition in various places in Japan.
“If I can make people happy by doing what I am doing, I want to do more. That’s my driving force for what’s next,” Lito says.


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How a Japanese leaf-cutting artist found fans, and solace, through his delicate depictions

Lito’s Wait a second! That’s my baby! Photo: Lito via AP

Lito holds up one of his freshly cut works in Tokyo. The Japanese leaf-cutting artist spends hours at a time carving his works, in a process that has helped him deal with ADHD. Photo: AP

A piece by Lito featuring a frog holding a taro-leaf umbrella. Photo: AP

Lito’s Choju Giga/Scrolls of Frolicking Animals. Photo: Lito via AP

Lito’s Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Photo: Lito via AP

Lito draws an outline on a leaf with a pen for one of his works, in Tokyo. Photo: AP

Lito uses a design knife to cut a leaf for one of his works. Photo: AP

Lito holds his freshly cut work featuring a frog with a taro-leaf umbrella. Photo: AP

Lito’s Leaf Aquarium. Photo: Lito via AP

Lito, who turned to leaf cutting after being diagnosed with ADHD, sees it as the perfect use of his patience and concentration. Photo: AP

Chinese artist turns islands’ plastic marine waste, from flip-flops to sex dolls, into art

A box of toothbrushes collected from the shores of the Miaodao Islands off eastern China. Photo: AFP

Artist Fu Junsheng at his studio in the Miaodao archipelago off Yantai, in eastern China’s Shandong province. Fu collects plastic that washes up on its beaches and turns it into work that highlights the issue of marine pollution. Photo: AFP

Plastic waste and other debris washed ashore in the Miaodao archipelago off eastern China’s Shandong province. Photo: AFP

Artist Fu Junsheng holding a basket of plastic waste including lighters, slippers, children’s toys and cosmetics containers. Photo: AFP

Fu walking along the shoreline, picking his way through piles of plastic waste. Photo: AFP

Fu has found lighters and coffee bottles from South Korea on his beachcombing trips. Photo: AFP

Fu holding a basket of plastic waste. Eight years ago, he decided to make waste both his artistic message and medium. Photo: AFP

Tablet blister packs collected from the shore. Worldwide, over 90 per cent of plastic is not recycled. Photo: AFP

A box of toothbrushes collected from the shores of the Miaodao Islands. Photo: AFP

Plastic flip-flops collected from the shore piled up at Fu’s studio. Photo: AFP

US artist Scott Kahn on late-career recognition, first Asia solo show and Hong Kong link

Scott Kahn with his 2023 painting Blue Moon at the opening of his exhibition “Once in a Blue Moon” at David Zwirner Hong Kong. At the age of 78, he has his first solo show in Asia. Photo: Enid Tsui

Scott Kahn in his studio with his painting Wolf Moon (2023). Photo: Jason Schmidt

Three of Kahn’s paintings, part of the Once in a Blue Moon exhibition at David Zwirner gallery, in Hong Kong. Photo: courtesy of David Zwirner

Blue Moon (2023) by Scott Kahn. Photo: Scott Kahn

‘We represent the future,’ Juilliard School head says of its multicultural Tianjin campus

Michelle Kim, founder and artistic director of Hong Kong Generation Next Arts, interviews Damian Woetzel, president of The Juilliard School (middle), as Wei He, chief executive and artistic director of The Tianjin Julliard School looks on, ahead of the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra recent performance in Hong Kong. Photo: George Wong

Damian Woetzel, president of The Juilliard School, highlighted the progress of its China campus in Tianjin on a recent visit to Hong Kong, where the Tianjin Juilliard School orchestra performed as part of the HKGNA festival. Photo: Todd Rosenberg Photography

The Tianjin Juilliard School is in a newly built park along the Haihe River in the Binhai New Area’s Yujiapu financial district Photo: Zhang Chao

Michelle Kim, founder and artistic director of Hong Kong Generation Next Arts, interviews Damian Woetzel (centre), president of The Juilliard School, as Wei He, chief executive and artistic director of The Tianjin Julliard School, looks on ahead of the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra’s recent performance in Hong Kong. Photo: George Wong

Meet Mave:, the AI-powered K-pop girl group that look almost human and speak four languages

The four members of virtual K-pop girl group Mave: live in the metaverse, their songs, dances, interviews and even their hairstyles created by web designers and artificial intelligence. Photo: Metaverse Entertainment

Experts say the Covid-19 pandemic aided the growth of such virtual characters like Mave:. Photo: Reuters

Kang Sung-ku, head of the technical department of Metaverse Entertainment, works on Mave: at his office in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Reuters

Lifestyle

Arts

From Mount Fuji to frogs, Lito’s leaf carvings have gained fans on social media while providing the artist, who has ADHD, a creative outlet


From Mount Fuji to frogs, Lito’s leaf carvings have gained fans on social media while providing the artist, who has ADHD, a creative outlet.


Japan