Entertainment · Books & Arts · 3 hrs ago
Japanese artist turns discarded receipts into portraits of everyday life
Japanese artist Viki makes artworks from discarded receipts collected from people in Japan and overseas.
He uses heat to turn parts of the thermal paper black, without paint or ink.
The purchases offer clues to strangers’ everyday lives, such as what they eat or where they go.
Viki’s interest began when he wondered why a couple kept their movie tickets but threw away a receipt from their date.
He now receives receipts by post and through collection boxes at exhibitions and events, and reads each one.
One contributor saw her old disappointment gain new meaning when Viki included a supermarket receipt she had used to enter a prize draw.
His work gives ordinary moments a lasting place, even when the people behind the receipts remain unknown.
Japanese artist Viki turns discarded thermal-paper receipts into artworks by applying heat to make parts of the paper black.
He is interested in the everyday details receipts record, such as what people buy, where they go and when.
Viki collects receipts from across Japan and overseas, including through social media, mail and collection boxes at exhibitions and events.
Some receipts prompt him to imagine the lives behind them, while others are recognized by the people who contributed them.
Tokyo resident Kunie Kawashima said seeing one of her receipts in an artwork gave a disappointing memory new life.
- Who
- Japanese artist Viki creates the artworks. People from Japan and overseas contribute receipts.
- What
- Viki uses heat to turn parts of thermal-paper receipts black and make artworks.
- When
- Not stated
- Where
- Viki was photographed in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture. He collects receipts from Japan and overseas.
- Why
- He is interested in the ordinary moments and personal details recorded on receipts, which he believes can otherwise be forgotten.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Viki overheard a couple discuss keeping their movie tickets but discarding a popcorn receipt, prompting him to wonder about the moments receipts record.
Viki began collecting receipts, initially asking friends to give him theirs.
Viki posed with one of his receipt artworks in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Kunie Kawashima recognized a supermarket receipt she had used in a campaign to win musical tickets in one of Viki's artworks.
- Artist
- Viki
- Artwork method
- Heat turns parts of thermal paper black; no paint or ink is used.
- Receipt sources
- Across Japan and overseas; contributions arrive by post and through exhibition and event collection boxes.
- Contributor
- Kunie Kawashima, from Tokyo's Setagaya Ward
- Photograph location and date
- Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture; Sept. 24, 2026
What people are saying
Receipts contain time and memories that are so ordinary they end up being forgotten
They're filled with invisible, very personal thoughts and emotions.
The disappointment I felt at the time has come back to life here, and that makes me really happy.