Artists
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Masayuki TSUBOTA Masayuki Tsubota was born in 1976 in Osaka and was brought up in an environment where he was naturally exposed to art and crafts with his father being a painter/printmaker and a relative being a furniture craftsperson. He studied at Osaka University of Arts after graduating from high school and aimed to lead his life as a sculptor while actively participating in art events held in western parts of Japan. Upon completing his master’s degree course in sculpture in 2000 at Osaka University of Arts Graduate School, he opened his studio in his hometown, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture and started to dedicate himself to sculpturing. Human beings, within their primal senses, possess the ability and the wisdom to link themselves to nature but they were forgotten in the course of the long history of evolution and development. So Tsubota, with his works, tries to ask the people living today and of the future to evoke the “unknown memory,” the way to interact with nature. The substance (material) slowly carved and polished by Tsubota and the colors that become the source of the overall image react together to form a piece of his work. It is his hope that his creations will lead the people living today to the memories that are intrinsic to human beings but are unknown (and will not be perceived). As materials for his works, he mainly uses wood, which is a familiar yet sacred material for Japanese people. He has profound knowledge of techniques in creating Buddhist statues, which have had great influences on the long history of Japanese art. So, his style of paying respect to wood while creating his work is based on the way a Buddhist sculptor would make statues, that is, to pray three times before carving each stroke with a blade. His simple and sophisticated works with deep tranquility has not only captivated individual collectors, but also attracted architects and interior designers all over the world, which led to many collaboration opportunities. His creations made as commissioned work have been installed in various buildings such as office buildings, hotels, condominiums, and hospitals as well as being introduced at interior design projects. Text by Masaru Nishiyama (Director of H-art Beat Gallery) |