Artist creates intricate animal sculptures out of balloons

A Japanese artist creates intricate animal sculptures out of balloons as he tries to break into the exclusive fine art world.

Masayoshi Matsumoto, 52, has been creating balloon animals since 2008 and uses no glue or tape to hold his creations together.

The chemical engineer said: "I chose balloons because I like their texture and soft presence. I also like how they deflate and droop quickly.

"It reminds me of the transience you feel in the art of flower arrangement."

Matsumoto uses a variety of techniques, such as layering deflated balloons on top of inflated ones, using deflated balloons to tie things together, and inflating balloons inside each other.

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