# Wide-Eyed Octopus Women Hideaki Kawashima Renders a Surreal Series of Female Heads By Jason Soy | Published 2012-04-11 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hideaki-kawashima References: [lacarpa.tumblr](http://lacarpa.tumblr.com/post/20839611733/hideaki-kawashima) & [blog.indiesart](http://blog.indiesart.com/tag/hideaki-kawashima/) These Hideaki Kawashima illustrations look as though they’re the premise for many [Asian horror films](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/uniqlo-and-junji-ito). With haunting wide-eyed stares, a flurry of hair resembling [octopus tentacles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/louis-vuitton-octopus) and the inexplicable absence of bodies, the females in these bizarre works have no problem inducing nightmares in its viewers. And with Kawashima’s use of faint pastel colors, you have a collection of artwork that’s more chilling than a frosty winter day. Hideaki Kawashima is a Japanese artist and you can tell by certain stylistic characteristics in his pieces. As with most [anime-inspired art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bape-x-kaikai-kiki), the subjects in these renderings have huge almond-shaped doe-eyes and small, almost non-existent noses. Kawashima also uses traditional Japanese motifs like cumulus clouds in the backgrounds of his work. Where he differs from other illustrators though is in his gravitation towards eerie concepts. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.0/10 - Popularity: 92% | Activity: 51% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Asian Horror-inspired Art:** Opportunity for artists to explore and create unsettling and chilling artwork with influences from Asian horror films. - **Anime-inspired Illustrations:** Potential for artists to embrace the distinctive style of anime, featuring large almond-shaped eyes and small noses, in their illustrations. - **Eerie Artistic Concepts:** Space for artists to push the boundaries of traditional art by incorporating unsettling and strange themes into their work. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Art and Design:** Artists can leverage the popularity of Asian horror-inspired art to create unique and captivating pieces that resonate with audiences. - **Animation and Entertainment:** Opportunity for animators and filmmakers to create anime-inspired content that captures the distinctive look and feel of Hideaki Kawashima's illustrations. - **Fashion and Cosplay:** Potential for fashion designers and cosplayers to incorporate the eerie and otherworldly elements from Hideaki Kawashima's artwork into their creations. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Hyper-Realistic Flesh Objects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/junji-ito.md) - [Raunchy Anime-Inspired Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/manuela-soto-sosa.md) - [Starry-Eyed Dichroic Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/starryeyed-dichroic-sculpture.md) - [Manga-Style Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hisashi-eguchi.md) - [Destructive Nature Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/keita-miyazaki.md) - [Monochromatic Ghost Character Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/monochromatic-ghost-character-sculptures.md) - [Anime-Themed Sculptural Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/o-series.md) - [Collaborative Animation Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/junji-ito-x-sanrio.md) - [Otherworldly Wooden Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wooden-sculptures-1.md)