Shotaro Kitada uses paper puppetry to make his comical vignettes

The Tokyo-based artist uses string and motors to bring his amusing creations to life.

Date
19 February 2024

Using paper in an array of colours, Shotaro Kitada creates 3D scenes and figures alike: walkways lined with shops, crowds of people mid-demonstration and festive living rooms. Shotaro animates a lot of his work, though he’s keen to set something straight – while many people mistake his work for stop-motion, it is in fact a form of puppetry. A feat of innovation, he uses string and motors as a way of achieving an “awkward, not so perfect” style.

His work is full of moments of humour and levity (see a poor paper figure with their tongue stuck to the pole of an icy stop sign) and he often conjures scenes that many will relate to. For example, in his first solo exhibition this year, Moving is Tiring, he tried to conjure the “ideal” house moving situation, to contrast his own, which was (as it is for many) “troublesome and difficult”. Funny, charming and inventive, Shotaro shows that there’s no limit to the potential of a good old sheet of paper.

Shotaro Kitada: Beams T (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2021)

Shotaro Kitada: Moving is Tiring (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2023)

Above

Shotaro Kitada: Music Illustration Awards 2020 (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2020)

Above

Shotaro Kitada: Moving is Tiring (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2023)

Above

Shotaro Kitada: Ready For Christmas (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2023)

Above

Shotaro Kitada: Bungeishunju Cinema (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2022)

Above

Shotaro Kitada: A burger shop somewhere (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2023)

Above

Shotaro Kitada: Moving is Tiring (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2023)

Shotaro Kitada: Daily Short Movies (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2023)

Shotaro Kitada: Daily Short Movies (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2023)

Hero Header

Shotaro Kitada: Beams T (Copyright © Shotaro Kitada, 2021)

Share Article

About the Author

Olivia Hingley

Olivia (she/her) is associate editor of the website, working across editorial projects and features as well as Nicer Tuesdays events. She joined the It’s Nice That team in 2021. Feel free to get in touch with any stories, ideas or pitches.

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.