Defined by her signature use of bright color and unique ability to mix reality and illusion within a wooden medium, Japanese sculptor Emi Katsuta debuted in New York with her solo exhibition Emi Katsuta: That Fantastic Someone in 2018.
Inspired by local media events in Japan that included the world’s increasing obsession with social media Katsuta carved her place in Japanese contemporary art.
Through her exhibitions in Europe, Asia, and America, Katsuta has quickly become known for her sculptures which simultaneously invoke images of wonder and loneliness.

Profile
Born in Nagasaki, Japan in 1983 Lives and works in Tokyo, Japan |
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【Education】 | |
2009 | Received Master’s Degree from Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Department of Sculpture |
2007 | Graduated from Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts, Department of Fine Art, major in sculpture |
【Selected Solo Exhibitions】 | |
2020 | Emi Katsuta: That Fantastic Someone (Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo) Emi Katsuta: Then a strange thing happened (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) |
2018 | Emi Katsuta Sculpture Exhibition: Sore Zore no Shiten (Matsuzakaya Nagoya, Aichi) Emi Katsuta: That Fantastic Someone (SEIZAN Gallery, New York) |
2016 | Emi Katsuta Sculpture Exhibition: Talking Eyes (Sendai Mitsukoshi Art Gallery, Miyagi) Emi Katsuta Sculpture Exhibition: Listening Eyes (Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo) |
2015 | Emi Katsuta Sculpture Exhibition: Sore Zore no Shiten (Nagasaki Hamaya Art Gallery, Nagasaki) |
2013 | Emi Katsuta Sculpture Exhibition (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) |
2012 | Fresh 2012 – Emi Katsuta (Contemporary Art Museum ISE, Mie) |
2009 | NADiff Window Gallery vol.1: Emi Katsuta-ten (NADiff Window Gallery, Tokyo) Fresh 2009 – Emi Katsuta (Contemporary Art Museum ISE, Mie) |
【Selected Group Exhibitions】 | |
2020 | Online Group Show Jo Sai Sho Fuku (Ward off Calamities, Invite Good Luck) : Gods and Yokai in the Time of Pandemic (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo; SEIZAN Gallery, New York) House of The Rising Light (Dorothy Circus Gallery, London; Dorothy Circus Gallery, Rome) FREECOLORS: Kousaku suru Kuukan (Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo) |
2018 | Two persons exhibition “Koki Tsujimoto + Emi Katsuta: Sense” (Tobu Ikebukuro, Tokyo) |
2017 | Mitsukoshi Isetan x Beams Stand Kyushu (Isetan Shinjuku, Tokyo) Summer Art Collection (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) Mitsukoshi Bijutsu 110th Anniversary: HOPES Jisedai 100 Senten (Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo) CURRENT TRADITIONS (Salisbury University, Maryland, USA) |
2014 | Something Precious (Osaka Mitsukoshi, Osaka) Hasu no Kai: Mokucho (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo; Sendai Mitsukoshi, Miyagi) Katachi aru Message (Fukuoka MItsukoshi, Fukuoka) |
2013 | Mother’s Day (Shinjuku Isetan, Tokyo) |
2012 | Hasu no Kai (Daimaru Shinsaibashi, Osaka; SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo, continued in 2013) |
2011 | Nezumikou-ten (Shinjuku Isetan, Tokyo) Matomo-ten (Takamatsu, Kagawa) Something Precious (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo, continued every year afterwards) |
2010 | Animamix Biennial 2009-2010 (Today Art Museum, Beijing, China) Azuki-mushi no Natsuyasumi-ten (Tokyo) Tanukitour (Tokyo) |
2009 | Emerging Director’s Art Fair “ULTRA002” (Spiral, Tokyo) |
2008 | GEISAI MUSEUM♯2” (Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo) |
2007 | Aichi Prefectural Art University, Graduate Thesis Exhibition (Aichi Prefectural Art and Culture Center, Aichi) The 3rd Atelier Matsuei Arui ha Mirai (Kyu Hirakushi Denchu Tei, Tokyo) |
2006 | Parque – Aichi Prefectural Art University Art Festival (Aichi Prefectural Art University, Aichi) |
【Awards】 | |
2008 | Geidai Art Plaza– nominated for grand prize (Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo) Via Art 2008, Special Jury Prize of New Art Division President, Kimiaki Ashino |
2007 | Prize for superior artwork – Awarded for thesis project (Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts,Aichi) |
2006 | Parque Grand Prize |
Exhibitions
ART FAIR TOKYO 2019 (Kaku no Kai: Mission Peace / Kengo Takahashi)
08/02/2019(fri) - 10/02/2019(sun)
Makoto Sugiura, Yoshiki Masuda, Emi Katsuta, Tsuneyoshi Nakamura, Hidetoshi Namiki, Kazuyuki Suto, Hiroko Takeda, Shigemi Yasuhara, Takashi Seto (Kaku no Kai: Mission Peace) and Kengo Takahashi
Something Precious Exhibition – Strawberry –
08/12/2017(fri) - 22/12/2017(fri)
Ruiji Aiba, Hiroyuki Aoyama, Yasushi Ikejiri, Haruomi Izumi, Sayaka Imai, Eri Iwasaki, Shinji Ohya, Akifumi Okumura, Satoko Ogura, Ami Onogi, Yuichi Kashima, Emi Katsuta, Takashi Kanazawa, Kaya, Yasushi Kanzaki, Yoji Kumagai, Noriyuki Kobayashi, Yuki Koyano, Sanami Shimada, Ken Shiozaki, Kou Shimizu, Chiaki Suzuki, Shiki Taira, Hiroko Takeda, Shin Tanaka, Koki Tsujimoto, Kenki Tsujimoto, Junya Tsubota, Ai Naka, Masakubi Nakamura, Shino Nakamura, Makoto Nitahara, Yukiko Hata, Toru Fukuda, Hikojiro Fujisawa, Akihiro Fujimoto, Fuyuki Maehara, Yuko Mawatari, Yoshiko Murakoshi, Eri Muranaka, Yohei Yashima, Shigeme Yasuhara, Ami Yamashiro, Kaz Watabe
Something Precious: Heisei
07/12/2018(fri) - 22/12/2018(sat)
Hiroyuki Aoyama, Yasushi Ikejiri, Yo Ishihara, Haruomi Izumi, Sayaka Imai, Yoshiro Iwaisako, Eri Iwasaki Akifumi Okumura, Satoko Ogura, Yuichi Kashima, Emi Katsuta, Sanami Shimada, Shiki Taira Kengo Takahashi, Mami Takyu, Taro Tasaki, Toru Tanno, Kouki Tsujimoto, Junya Tsujimoto, Maria Noto Yukiko Hata, Naho Hanawa, Toru Fukuda, Haruka Miyano, Eri Muranaka, Yohei Yashima, Raizo Yamasaki, Ami Yamashiro, Yasushi Yokoiyama, Miharu Yokota, Kaz Watabe