FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Molten glass food sculptures japanese artist miwa ito - Caught on Camera

Ito's fascination with glass began at an early age, but it wasn't until she enrolled at Kindai University that she discovered glassblowing and decided to pursue it professionally. Since graduating in 2018, she has steadily built a reputation for both functional glassware and sculptural pieces, though it is her astonishingly realistic food that has attracted the widest audience. Today, hundreds of thousands of people follow her work online, where videos of glowing molten glass gradually transforming into seemingly edible creations regularly captivate millions of viewers.

Every sculpture begins with a gather of molten glass at the end of a blowpipe. Working within minutes before the material cools and hardens, Ito stretches, shapes, layers, and colors the glass by hand, carefully building everything from translucent noodles and glossy egg yolks to airy whipped cream, toasted bread, and dripping syrup. Rather than striving for photographic perfection, she recreates the small irregularities that make food feel freshly prepared, giving each piece a surprising sense of realism despite its solid glass construction.

Many of these works belong to her ongoing "Itadakimasu" series, named after the Japanese expression traditionally said before a meal as a way of expressing gratitude for the food and everyone involved in bringing it to the table. By recreating familiar dishes in glass, Ito elevates everyday meals into lasting works of art while inviting viewers to appreciate both the beauty of ordinary food and the remarkable possibilities of her chosen medium.