Rice Frogs Turn into Grave Stone

Born in Kagoshima city, Kagoshima, Fuji Hiroshi lives in Fukuoka. Joined in Japan Oversea Cooperation Volunteers program, this artist has been dispatched to Papua New Guinea as a volunteer. By making three dimensional artworks by utilizing rice and plastic bottles, and organizing the children's used-toy exchange projects, the artist urges our attention to familiar issues in our life, such as food problems and environmental destruction. This piece forms the final shape of his “Rice Frogs,” a series of his installation works was created for 6 years since 1991. The piece was made from one ton of rice which was purchased with his one month’s salary. Half way through the production, the rice became infested with insects and the artist made it into a frog shaped rice ball with a resin treatment. However, its color and shape gradually changed and deformed and finally the artist made it into a gravestone, intending to mourn for the frogs.