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(Hanoi) Exhibition – OPTICAL ILLUSION By Sugihara Kokichi
Exhibition
OPTICAL ILLUSION
By Sugihara Kokichi
Optical Illusion – Flip Your Sight, Unlock Your Mind
When does perception become illusion? For the first time ever in Vietnam, from June 28 to August 24, 2025, in Hanoi, Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam is proud to present the exhibition “Optical Illusion”, an eye-opening journey into the surprising world of visual perception that changes how we see and understand reality. The exhibition will showcase 53 three-dimensional illusions by Professor Sugihara Kokichi—a four-time winner of the International Best Illusion of the Year Contest and a pioneer in in applied mathematics and spatial cognition.
Unlike traditional optical illusions confined to flat surfaces, these are real, tangible models designed with precise geometric calculations. A shape that appears circular from one angle might reveal interlinked squares from another. A fish placed beside a mirror reflects only a skeleton. Some designs, as small as 8 centimeters in size yet produce stunning visual effects that continue to puzzle the keenest eyes—even when observed up close. While we often assume that our eyes enable us to perceive reality most accurately, Professor Sugihara humorously challenges this belief by exploiting the “blind spots” in our visual system. His illusions give rise to seemingly impossible phenomena that provoke curiosity and philosophical reflection: How far does biological function allow human to perceive so-called reality? Beyond sheer wonder, his work also sparks scientific thought and reveals the profound beauty linking mathematics, art, and human perception.
Having exhibited in Japan and numerous countries worldwide, Professor Sugihara has been exploring these visual phenomena since the early 2000s. His creations have been featured on various Japanese television programs including NHK’s “DESIGN TALK plus” and the famous idol group Arashi’s “Arashi ni Shiyagare” where they received praise and acclamation from a wide range of audience. Besides, his works have also been presented in top science and art museums around the globe, among which the National Palace Museum in Taipei can be named.
This exhibition offers one-of-a-kind opportunity for Vietnamese audience to access a rarely seen style excelling in mathematic precision and artistic creativity, promising a unique, delightful, and inspiring experience for visitors of all ages.
EVENT INFORMATION
■ Credits
Organized by: The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam
Artwork credit: Sugihara Kokichi
ABOUT THE PROFESSOR
Sugihara Kokichi earned his Master’s degree in Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1973. He went on to work at various institutions, including the Electrotechnical Laboratory, Nagoya University, and the University of Tokyo, before joining Meiji University in 2009. Since April 2019, he has held the position of Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Meiji Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences. His field of expertise is Mathematical Engineering. While researching the development of robotic vision, he discovered methods to transform visual illusions into physical models and expanded his work into the field of three-dimensional optical illusions. He has created numerous seemingly impossible structures and continues to be active as an Opt Art model artist. A four-time winner and two-time runner-up of the International Best Illusion of the Year Contest, his illusionary artworks have been exhibited at numerous science centers and museums, including a notable special exhibition at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, which ran for one year and eight months from September 2018 to May 2020.
■ Research Field
- Voronoi diagrams (robust construction methods, generalizations, applications)
- Design methods for geometry algorithms without risk of malfunction (topology-first approach, integer reduction method, symbolic perturbation method, error-absorbing representation)
- Computer vision and computer graphics (reversible Minkowski algebra, pixel-independent shape processing techniques)
- Mathematics of visual perception (optical illusions, anomalous figures, impossible 3D objects, stereoscopic vision, viewpoint tricks)
- Mesh generation for finite element methods (Delaunay tetrahedralization, mesh refinement, finite element methods that work on irregular meshes)
■ Awards (Recent Achievements)
- October 2018: Triply Ambiguous Object won 1st Prize at the Best Illusion of the Year Contest 2018.
- December 2018: Trump Symbols and Flowers Floating in the Mirror received the Grand Prize at the 10th Digital Modeling Contest by the Japan Society for Graphic Science.
- 2019: Paper “Topology-disturbing objects: A new class of 3D optical illusion” by K. Sugihara was selected for The Best Writing on Mathematics 2019 and published in The Best Writing on Mathematics 2019, Princeton University Press, edited by Mircea Pitici.
- December 2019: Facing-Right Illusion was selected as a finalist at the Best Illusion of the Year Contest 2019.
- November 2020: Received the Art and Science Award from the Japanese Society for Art and Science.
- November 2020: Won Best Paper Award at NICOGRAPH 2020 for “Modeling of Ambiguous Tiling for Mold Casting”.
- December 2020: 3D Schroeder Staircase won 1st Prize at the Best Illusion of the Year Contest 2020.
- July 2021: Rising Object Illusion won Best Showtime Presentation at the 43rd European Conference on Visual Perception.
- June 2021: Awarded the Paper Prize from the Journal of the Japanese Society for Art and Science for “Modeling of Ambiguous Tiling for Mold Casting”, Vol. 19, Issue 4, pp. 59–66.
- December 2021: Rising Object Illusion was a finalist in the Best Illusion of the Year Contest 2021.
- December 2021: Received the Best Paper Award at IDW’21 for “True Views from Depth-Exaggerated Images”, Paper No. AIS3/VHF1-3.
- June 2022: Awarded the 11th Achievement Award (Field A: Theory) by the Japan Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics for “Mathematical Modeling of Optical Illusions and Its Applications”.
- August 2022: Works Returning to the Nest and Never Looking Back were selected for the 106th Nika Art Exhibition (Sculpture Division).
- March 2023: Soaring Without Looking Back received the Excellence Award at the 14th Digital Modeling Contest by the Japan Society for Graphic Science.
- May 2023: One-Way Flight was selected as a finalist in the Best Illusion of the Year Contest 2023.
- June 2023: Received the 18th Paper Award from the Japan Society for Graphic Science for “Design Method of Infinite Loop Stairs Aiming for Walkability”, published in Journal of Graphic Science, Vol. 56, Issue 1 (2022).
- September 2023: Works Four Family Members and Which Way Do You Want to Go? were selected for the 107th Nika Art Exhibition (Sculpture Division).
- June 2024: Received the 19th Paper Award from the Japan Society for Graphic Science for “Image Conversion Method for Folding Fans Independent of the Number of Folds”, co-authored with Fujiko Abe, published in Journal of Graphic Science, Vol. 57, Issue 2, pp. 9–15 (September 2023).
- September 2024: Works Wall Parade and Dialogue were selected for the 108th Nika Art Exhibition (Sculpture Division).
- March 2025: Work Naruto Whirlpools won the Excellence Award at the 1st Illusions, Perceptions, and Trick Art Exhibition.
■Books (Recent Publications)
- Kokichi Sugihara (Supervisor): Transform with a Mirror!? Mysterious 3D Set – The Amazing World of Optical Illusions and Impossible Objects, Tokyo Shoseki, Tokyo, 2017.
- Kokichi Sugihara (Supervisor): Make It! Mysterious and Surprising! – Professor Sugihara’s Trick Art Projects, Shufu to Seikatsu Sha, Tokyo, 64 pages, 2017.
- Kokichi Sugihara: Illusion Trick Kit, Gentosha, Tokyo, 16 pages, 2017.
- Kokichi Sugihara: Even When You Know, You’re Still Fooled – Illusion Quiz, Daiwa Bunko, Daiwa Shobo, Tokyo, 256 pages, 2018.
- Kokichi Sugihara: New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Optical Illusions, Seibundo Shinkosha, Tokyo, 223 pages, 2018.
- Kokichi Sugihara: Illusions! 3D Paper Crafts, Akane Shobo, Tokyo, 2020.
- Kokichi Sugihara: Mirror Trick 3D Kit Book, Nagaoka Shoten, 2021.
- Kokichi Sugihara: See, Know, and Make! Play with Illusions: The Mysterious World of Perception Created by the Brain, Seibundo Shinkosha, 2021.
- Kokichi Sugihara: Amazing Mirror Experiences! 3D Trick Art Kit Book, Kin no Hoshi Sha, Tokyo, 2024.
■Research Papers in English (Recent Years)
- K. Sugihara, Ambiguous tiling, Computer Aided Geometric Design. vol. 79 (2020), Article 101851 DOI information: 10.1016/j.cagd.2020.101851
- K. Sugihara: Modeling of ambiguous tiling for mold casting. Journal of the Society for Art and Science, Vo. 19 (2020), no. 4, pp. 59-66.
- K. Sugihara: Family tree of impossible objects crated by optical illusion. Proceedings of the Bridges between Mathematics and the Arts, 2020.
- K. Sugihara, 3D realization of Penrose polygons using non-rectangularity trick. Journal of the Society for Art and Science, vol. 20 (2021), no. 5, pp. 269-276
- K. Sugihara, Rising object illusion. Journal of Mathematics and the Arts. Vol. 16 (2022), pp. 234-243. DOI 10.1080/17513472.2022.2045047
- K. Sugihara: A framework for creation of anomalous motion pictures. Art & Perception, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 46-65.
- K. Sugihara: Translation illusion of 3D objects in a mirror. The Journal of the Society for Art and Science, vol. 22 (2023), no. 2, pp. 4:1-4:12.
- K. Sugihara, Room-size illusion and recovery of the true appearance. Japan Journal of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, vol. 40 (2023), 757-773.
- K. Sugihara, Five types of anomalous perceptions created by the same mirror-reflection process. Journal of Illusion. vol. 4 (2023). https://journalofillusion.net/index.php/joi/issue/view/554
- K. Sugihara, Double-mirror illusion: A new class of 3D illusion that creates anomalous U-turn and anomalous translation simultaneously. Journal of Illusion, vol. 4 (2023), https://doi.org/10.47691/joi.v4.9839
- K. Sugihara, Circular-Parade Illusion Created by Half-Body Objects and Mirrors. Journal of the Society for Art and Science, vol. 23, no. 3 (2024), pp. 9:1-9:9 https://doi.org/10.3756/artsci.23.9_1
IMAGES FOR PR AND REFERENCES
Remarks: For the usage of the following images for your media, please kindly put the credit and information below, and please get the original size of the images at: (Photos of Artworks/Ảnh tác phẩm)
All photos credit: ©️ Sugihara Kokichi
■ For inquiries on the program, please contact:
Ms. Ngoc 024-3944-7419 (ext. 113) / Mr. Osuka (070-513-7550)
The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam
27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam
TEL 024-3944-7419
