When Pietro Ferrero created Ferrero Rocher, high-quality chocolate, way back in 1942, it certainly took the world by storm. It’s no wonder it remains popular to this day. However, little did Ferrero know that someone years after will turn its disposable golden packaging into tiny sculptures.
This is exactly what happened. Ciro Wai, a Taiwanese artist, turned the gold foils of Ferrero Roche, meant to contain and protect the product, into works of art. Wai started out by creating Pikachu, a species of Pokémon that is the central figure in several video games, animated television shows, and movies. He then tried his hand at creating a dragon. Since then, there was no looking back for this gourmet artist. He admits having lots of fun shaping the miniature sculptures with golden wrappers.
Wai enthralled all by his series of sculptures depicting the characters of Saint Seiya, also known as Knights of the Zodiac, a Japanese manga series, written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. This cult series of the 80s for a generation of fans remain as popular, selling over 35 million copies as of 2017. Among his popular creations are the minuscule sculptures of the horoscope figures. Although his impressive creations are spontaneous and straight forward, calling them pieces of art is rather far-fetched.
The best part about Wai’s creations is he doesn’t let any of the packagings go waste. He uses the gold foil to create his miniature sculptures, ranging from human figures, animal, birds and other objects, and the cup, with Ferrero Roche brand starkly visible, to make the base or pedestal for the tiny sculptures to stand on. At times, it may lead the viewers to believe that it’s a hidden publicity stunt by this chocolate brand of global fame. However, his form of art is growing in popularity on the internet.
Wai’s works of art created out of chocolate wrappers provide an important lesson for all and that is not to let the ever-increasing waste become a serious problem. Instead, all should try and find creative means of using this waste.
Ciro Wai
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