Artist Paints Photorealistic Scenes of Japanese Suburbia Onto Spheres

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All artists can attest to the fact that inspiration comes from many sources. Luckily, there are times when you don’t have to go very far to find it. Japanese artist Daisuke Samejima found inspiration just outside his doorstep. The gifted artist created a series of acrylic paintings called Flatball, which are inspired by his suburban surroundings.

The remarkable artworks envision his ordinary surroundings in an extraordinary way. Rather than opting for the generic, flat canvas, Samejima offers a warped view across a sometimes-suspended, sometimes-seated ball. The artworks beg the viewer to interact with it, appreciate it from different viewpoints, and thereby take a walk through his neighborhood with him. It’s like a spherical version of Google Street View you can hold and rotate around in your hands. No matter what “side” you’re viewing one of his pieces from, it appears as though you’re looking through a fisheye lens or perhaps peering through a peephole.

Samejima uses his painting expertise learned at Tama Art University to illustrate his photorealistic, 360-degree views of different provincial neighborhoods. The results, which he posts on Instagram as both photos and videos, are startlingly disorienting. What could be considered rather commonplace subjects are suddenly thrust onto a pedestal of immense detail and care—leaving the viewer mesmerized in the world of Samejima’s paintings. Although Flatball is an unconventional ongoing series, Samejima’s portfolio of oil paintings shows that his attention to design and realism are trademarks of his artistic practice.

Scroll down to see the artist’s amazing work. To see even more work-in-progress shots (and videos) of Samejima’s Flatball paintings, you can follow the artist on Instagram and Twitter.