Ealing-born football star Bukayo Saka is among a number of celebrities including Elton John, Ed Sheeran and Lorraine Kelly who have been made into grapefruit-sized portraits using sushi ingredients to celebrate International Sushi Day (18 June 2024).
A special exhibition by Japanese food brand Yutaka to showcase the display only work was held on Sunday (16 June 2024) at Casildart art gallery in Paddington.
Food artist Michelle Wibowo spent 120 hours making the portraits using Japanese sushi ingredients including sushi rice, smoked salmon and pickled ginger.
For Mr Saka who plays for Arsenal and England, his portrait took 15 hours to make and was made using tobiko roe, sesame, and nori on sake seasoned sushi rice.
Ms Wibowo said: “I’m used to creating sculptures from unconventional materials, but working with sushi ingredients was a whole other kettle of fish. It was really fascinating to see how many ingredients there are for making sushi and how these can be used to create intricate details for the face and hair.”
Ms Wibowo added: “I hope people find the portraits as hilarious as I do and maybe even feel inspired to have a go themselves to mix things up in the kitchen. Remember, all art is subjective.”
Ken Furukawa, CEO of Tazaki Foods, owners of the Yutaka brand commented: “We wanted to create an exhibition that celebrates the diversity and creativity of Japanese cuisine, and inspires you to be adventurous at home in the kitchen.”
Mr Furukawa added: “Sushi has become somewhat of a national dish here in the UK, so it felt right that we honoured this special relationship by recreating some of Britain’s most iconic faces out of Yutaka’s own sushi-making ingredients.”
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