Hideshi Yoshida - このコーヒーカップ、なんでこんなに小っちゃいんだ? (Why is this coffee cup so tiny?)

Contemporary Woodblock Print

A fabulous print by Hideshi Yoshida: このコーヒーカップ、なんでこんなに小っちゃいんだ？ (Why Is This Coffee Cup So Tiny?). An enormous black bear sits at a café table, staring down at a coffee cup that looks absurdly small in its paws. Yoshida builds the bear’s fur and the surrounding café interior through dense carved lines and crosshatching, with shelves of cups, pots and tableware filling the background. The humour is immediate, but the sheer difference in scale gives the scene the slightly strange, off-kilter quality that runs throughout Yoshida’s work. 🐻☕

• Year & Edition: 2024 · Ed. of 20 (signed, editioned & dated in pencil).
• Medium: Plank-grain woodblock (板目木版), printed on kōzo paper.
• Dimensions: Sheet H: 33.00 cm × W: 24.00 cm. Image H: 23.00 cm × W: 14.00 cm.
• Condition: Mint. Direct from the artist’s studio.
• Notes: Why Is This Coffee Cup So Tiny? was exhibited at Yōseidō Gallery, Ginza, Tokyo in March 2024 during the gallery’s final exhibition in its original building. It was later selected for the 23rd Minamishimabara Seminario Contemporary Print Exhibition in Nagasaki Prefecture in 2025. With an edition of only 20, it is one of Yoshida’s scarcer recent plank-grain woodblocks.

About the Artist

Hideshi Yoshida (b. Hokkaido) is a Tokyo-based contemporary printmaker celebrated for his meticulous wood-engravings (木口木版) and vibrant woodblock prints. He transports viewers into surreal realms - ranging from charming animal scenes to visionary landscapes inspired by Lovecraft, Carroll and Stevenson - while centering his own Sci-Fi universe, Agnahuecom-Land, and the tech-driven mega-corporation FROSKEY Inc., powered by the mythical element Rabbitanium. Yoshida’s richly detailed narratives and fantastical precision have earned him international acclaim, with works held at the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology (Poland) and the St. Nikolai Municipal Museum (Belgium). Kumo Arts is proud to showcase his enchanting worlds. [ ← View All Works by Hideshi Yoshida]