For this work Hakamata took two figures universally recognized in Japan--a model of Hotei, god of happiness and abundance, and the standard Hokkaido souvenir of a carved wooden bear—cut them into slices and layered the pieces alternately. The result is one of a somehow familiar form manifesting as fragmented fault lines. In rhythmic stripes of contrasting garish acrylic and stylish wood, the pudgy deity draws added vitality from a wild bear of the kind inhabiting the Hokkaido landscape.
About Kyotaro Hakamata