I can't believe I've only just discovered this artist's ingenious optical illusions

A restaurant on top of a retro cassette player? A rocket trailing tempura flames? A maid ironing crinkle-cut potato chips? Anything's possible in the work of the Japanese photographer Tatsuya Tanaka, who specialises in creating surreal miniature optical illusions by using everyday objects to recreate daily situations.

I've only just discovered his work, but Tatsuya has been posting scenes like the ghetto blaster restaurant below on Instagram every day since 2011. He's created all kinds of situations, even including characters like the Minions and Nintendo's Super Mario.

Tatsuya was born in Kumamoto, Kyusyu, in 1981. He became known for his miniatures back in 2011 with 'Miniature Calendar.' Over 13 years later, he continues with the calendar and has published the books MINIATURE LIFE, Reassemble, and Sushi Came to Buy Some Clothes. He's had an exhibition in Kitakyushu last year, also called MINITURE LIFE

He's now created more than 4,000 such scenes. In many, he places diorama models in and intricately crafted objects in everyday situations. He often uses surprising common objects too, from slippers to represent mountains in the recreation of a scene from the Lion King, to tempura for flames and bread for a bath.

Other scenes have included a boat made of chili and a stroll among asparagus trees or a cyclist riding a pair of sunglasses. The miniature scenes show ordinary from a different perspective, encouraging us to think anew.

Nintendo fans will love Tanaka's creation of a Super Mario scene by placing a model of Mario and a Thwomp on the window of a bullet train (see below). The speed with which the stone Thwomp appears to drop in the second half is very effective – the illusion is created simply by changing the camera orientation when filming.

Tatsuya's even recreated Aardman's Shaun the Sheep, not with clay but steamed dumplings!

Tatsuya has salso hared several 'making of' videos showing how he created some of his optical illusions and other scenes, including his 'Tottori Sand Dunes' and 'spa-ghetti'.

For more quirky art inspiration, don't miss Loooop Studio's clever single-line animations. Also see the most popular optical illusion of 2024 and how optical illusions could be the solution to annoying CAPTCHAs.