Biography.

Born in Saitama, Japan in 1987. Lives and works in Tochigi.

Painter. Obtained Master of Fine Arts from Bunsei University of Art in 2011. He analyzes and examines social trends and issues related to “the problem of life and death” from various perspectives, and explores the possibility of “breath expression,” an art expression of life and death appropriate for the modern age. His representative works are the “Life Drawn” series.

The joy of painting and the experience of recognizing death that he had in his childhood became the foundation of his expression. While still in school, he began his research and creation with the statement “to seek and explore the possibility of breath expression in painting “.

In 2010, he received the Jury Prize from Yuji Akimoto at the “Art Award Next #1”. The same work was purchased by Masakatsu Asaki. At that time, his style was a mental landscape-like expression, but now, as his research progresses, he is creating more abstract works.

In recent years, he has been working as an artist at Itamuro Onsen Daikokuya for 3 years from 2019 in order to improve his human skills, and resumed his activities starting with his solo exhibition “The Life Drawn” held at Nasushiobara City Library Miruru in 2022. In 2023, he will participate in a special exhibition to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Tochigi Prefecture, and is actively engaged in other activities.



Artistic Statement.

The Possibilities of Respiratory Expression in Painting

Under the research philosophy of “A Study on Breathing in Artistic Expressions of New Life and Death,” I explore ways to translate “breathing”, a fundamental element of life activity, into the medium of painting, thereby visualizing human life and vitality. This is an attempt to approach the essence of life while protecting the viewer’s fragile sensory perceptions by metaphorically infusing breathing, which has long been regarded as a symbol of life activity in Japanese culture, into the otherwise difficult-to-confront concepts of life and death.
In modern society, death has been increasingly tabooed and concealed since the modern era, resulting in its disconnection from daily life. Consequently, individuals are left with fewer means to ascribe meaning to their own lives and deaths. In recent years, reflecting on this situation, interdisciplinary approaches have been taken in fields such as medicine, philosophy, psychology, cultural anthropology, sociology, folklore studies, and religious studies to explore various themes related to death. As death has become less visible, there is now a renewed need to consider it more consciously. Given this context, how can the field of art, which has long engaged with death as a significant theme, contribute to this discourse? Based on my own experience of perceiving death, I began my creative research by positioning this issue at the core of my self-expression. Through this process, I aim to reevaluate the functional role of art and explore new perceptual experiences in the recognition of life and death.
The depiction of life and death in my works is abstract. The metaphors of life and death I employ reflect a uniquely Japanese folkloric image, one that seeks to understand human life by associating it with natural phenomena, much like seeing the archetype of life‘s structure in the continuity of ocean waves. I refer to this as a “respiratory metaphor.” This differs significantly from traditional Western metaphors that use images of corpses, skulls, or the Grim Reaper, as well as from representations found in Japanese art forms such as Nihonga and Ukiyo-e, which depict ghosts and yokai.
Through the viewing experience, my works function as devices that prompt self-exploration, raising questions such as Who am I? and Where do I belong? At the same time, they stimulate the formation of perspectives on life and death while fostering a sense of self-existence. In pursuit of these possibilities, I continuously explore ways to culturally define and position my artistic expressions.


Art-Making Process and Its Significance.

My work is a sophisticated fusion of traditional calligraphy techniques and painterly expression, deeply reflecting my own view of life.
The process begins with drawing lines in ink using a brush on calligraphy paper. These lines are then transferred onto washi paper mounted on a panel. This is not merely a technical transition; through the act of transferring, only the contours of the lines remain. I then fill the interior with charcoal, which enhances the sense of vitality within the work. By likening the lines I draw to “breath,” the piece becomes more than just an abstract expression, it emerges as a symbol of life itself.
Breath is the fundamental rhythm of life, and through the entire work, this rhythm is made visible. The delicate wavering of the ink lines and the powerful depiction achieved through charcoal together express both the fragility and the strength of life, leaving a deep impression on the viewer.

The act of transferring lines from”calligraphy paper to drawing paper symbolizes the transference of life itself, an inheritance of vitality. This process evokes the image of one life being reborn in another form and continuing to live anew. By leaving only the outline through transfer and filling the interior with charcoal, what was once a mere shell of life is reanimated and reappears as a new existence.

My work stands apart from that of other artists in its visual articulation of life and vitality. It presents states of breath and human life in a way that is both visible and deeply evocative. The coexistence of stillness and motion, strength and ephemerality, within my expression is unparalleled even when considered in the historical context of artworks exploring themes of life and death. By merging the aesthetics of traditional calligraphy with contemporary art, my work invites the viewer into a space of profound philosophical reflection and emotional resonance.

This unique perspective and technique, the result of my artistic journey, culminate in a meditative form of art that compels viewers to reconsider the essence of life itself.


Solo Exhibitions.

2025 Sōei Galley, Tokyo, Japan
2024 Galley Fantasia, Tochigi, Japan
Sōei Galley, Tokyo, Japan
2022 Life drawn, Nasushiobara City Library MIRURU, Tochigi, Japan
2019 Aspiration, Itamuro Onsen Daikokuya 〇△▢ Galley, Tochigi, Japan
2018 Galley In The Blue, Tochigi, Japan


Group Exhibitions.

2025 The 6th Present Art Scene of Utsunomiya, Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Tochigi, Japan
2019 The 5th Present Art Scene of Utsunomiya, Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Tochigi, Japan
2018 2018 East Asia Art Exchange Exhibition, Eunam Museum of Art, Gwangju-Gwangyeoksi, Korea
2016 The 7th Japan Korea Exhibition of Reconciliation ＆ Harmony, Tochigi Prefecture Cultural Center,Tochigi, Japan
2014 The 2th ART WAVE zero art in New York Exhibition, hpgrp Gallery, New York
2012 Dokkyo Medical University Hospital In-Hospital Art Project, Dokkyo Medical University Hospital, Tochigi, Japan
2011 Plus The Aat Fair 2011, Tokyo Art Club, Toko, Japan


Awards.

2011 Shinagawa Ward Mayor Award, The 15th Anniversary Franco-Japanese International Contemporary Art Exhibition 2011, Tokyo, Japan
2010 Judges’ Prize of Yuji Akimoto, Procurement of Masakatsu Asaki, ART AWRD NEXT＃ 1, Tokyo Art Club, Tokyo, Japan


Public Collection.

Marueido
Itamuro Onsen Daikokuya