Metaphor
Chika Oshima


Artist Statement

There is an advertisement in Japan for “cloud ice cream” which depicts ice cream cones amid clouds floating in the sky. This visual depiction has become widely successful. Through metaphor, the ice cream becomes something more than just ice cream—in the same way, other objects take on greater meaning through the same comparative function: snow can look like dust, cars can look angry, and dogs can look like their owners. The act layering another trait onto something that already has meaning can lead to stunning, unexpected visuals. We all use comparison in our daily lives, but their use often goes unexamined. This project explores the use of metaphor in a visual way, by depicting unexpected but compositionally similar objects, in an invitation to explore the use of metaphor in visual languages.

The work consists of nine fields: “Fish head”, ”Put your hand in”, ”Peel and eat”, ”Horned animal”, ”Person in a masterpiece”, “Creature showing its face from ground”, “Electrical”, “Gymnast” and “Foot & leg”.

Chika Oshima

Chika Oshima is a college student learning Graphic Design, Editorial Design, and Website Design. She is passionate about the surreal and unexpected images derived from everyday objects around us. It is her firm belief that we can breathe new life into mundane objects if we only carefully assess them and deconstruct what we see.

https://www.instagram.com/mrpictopicto

Process