Gallery: These Haunting Sculptures Are Made From Thousands of Hot Glue Sticks

  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Water and Ice
    Picasa
    01

    onishi-14

    For another project in the series Onishi suspended tree branches from the ceiling of a gallery and coated them with strands of adhesive and urea crystals. *Photo: Takuya Oshima*
  • Image may contain Plant and Tree
    Picasa
    02

    onishi-11

    The result is a surreal, inverted winter landscape, frozen in time. *Photo: Takuya Oshima*
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Ice Snow and Plant
    Picasa
    03

    onishi-13

    *Photo: Takuya Oshima*
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Ice Snow and Winter
    Picasa
    04

    onishi-12

    *Photo: Takuya Oshima*
  • Image may contain Human Person Clothing Footwear Apparel and Shoe
    05

    onishi-01

    Each project starts the same way. Onishi enters a room and constructs a grid of wires that serve as a scaffold for his hot glue stalactites. Like a virtuoso cowboy, he stands atop a ladder with a glue gun in each hand and fires salvos of synthetic resin that give form to the empty space. *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Image may contain Tripod Human and Person
    06

    onishi-10

    The process embraces randomness and Onishi admits that the idea for the unconventional method struck him in an equally unexpected way. "I worked in a huge studio with a sleeping space," he says "One day I found a long string of glue between my working area and bed." *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Vertical Emptiness is the name of his latest series and the installations represents a subtle but important shift in his...
    07

    onishi-08

    *Vertical Emptiness* is the name of his latest series and the installations represents a subtle, but important shift in his work. "Every time I start a project the space inspires my work," says Onishi. "I've made quite a lot of installations with black glue and hanging plastic sheets so I wanted to change how I went about filling the empty space and chose materials that I can't control." *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Image may contain Outdoors Nature Ice Snow and Frost
    08

    onishi-07

    A recent installation, constructed in a sake cellar, embodies this evolution. Onishi replaced his grid with thick organic stings of glue that droop between contact points in the ceiling. *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Ice Snow Building and Bridge
    09

    onishi-02

    While his previous projects seemed to float ephemerally, *Vertical Emptiness* is decidedly architectural, with columns and spans that could be seen as a Gaudí-esqe castle or spider-filled jungle. *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Image may contain Mosquito Net
    10

    onishi-09

    Japanese artist Yasuaki Onishi creates stunning sculptures using humble hot glue guns. *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
Read More
The Best Ski Clothes for Staying Warm and Having Fun
From weatherproof jackets and pants to puffers, gloves, and socks, WIRED’s winter sports experts have you covered.
Chris Haslam
The Best Automatic Litter Boxes Tested by Our Spoiled Cats
With these high-tech automatic litter boxes, gone are the days of scooping and smells. Welcome to the future.
Molly Higgins
The Best Apple Watch Accessories
You finally caved and bought an Apple Watch. These are our favorite bands, screen protectors, and chargers to go with your new smartwatch.
Adrienne So
The Best Fitness Trackers Check Your Sleep, Heart Rate, or Even Your Blood
With almost ten years of hands-on testing, WIRED knows what separates the best fitness trackers from the rest.
Adrienne So
Give Your Back a Break With Our Favorite Office Chairs
Sitting at a desk for hours? Upgrade your WFH setup and work in style with these comfy WIRED-tested seats.
Julian Chokkattu
These Are Our Favorite Standing Desks to Liven Up Your Workstation
Take your home office to new heights with our favorite motorized standing desks.
Nicole Kinning
The Best iPhone 17 Cases and Accessories—We’ve Tested More Than 100
Protect your expensive iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone Pro, or iPhone 17e with our favorite cases and screen protectors.
Julian Chokkattu
The Best Heart Rate Monitors Check Your Cardiac Health
These chest straps and watches will help you keep your finger on your pulse—and many other heart-related metrics.
Michael Sawh
The Best MagSafe Grips for Getting a Handle on Things
Keep your phone firmly in hand and add some personality with these comfortable, durable, and nifty smartphone grips.
Louryn Strampe
The Best Game Controller for Every Kind of Player
A great gamepad instantly levels up your play. These are our top picks for Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.
Brad Bourque
Death to Dry Skin. These Humidifiers Are Better Than Chapstick
From models for traveling to humidifiers that double as planters or air purifiers, we've tested a dozen of them.
Matthew Korfhage
The Best Hybrid Mattresses for the Best of Both Worlds
By combining foam and springs in carefully tuned layers, hybrids hit the sweet spot between soft and supportive. Here are our favorites after extensive testing.
Julia Forbes