Inspired by the humble beauty and deep-seated history of the trees that grow on the mountains of Japan and in the countryside, Shigemi Yasuhara’s paintings are visions of a world enveloped in stillness and serenity. With a self-described intense focus on natural elements, Yasuhara paints his trees, often beech or horse chestnut, on the traditional Japanese paper called washi using mineral pigments such as lapis lazuli and verdigris. The simple color pallet and immaculate detail turn the everyday landscapes into emotional scenes full of tension, stillness, and splendor.
Profile
| Born in Saitama, Japan in 1984 Lives and works in Saitama, Japan |
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| Inyū member of Nihon Bijutsuin (The Japan Art Institute) | |
| 【Education】 | |
| 2016 | Finished Doctorate at Department of Conservation, Major in Conservation and Restoration of Japanese Painting |
| 2012 | Received Master’s degree at Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Department of Conservation, Major in Conservation and Restoration of Japanese Painting |
| 2010 | Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, School of Fine Arts, Department of Painting, Major in Nihonga |
| 【Selected Solo Exhibitions】 | |
| 2023 | Shigemi Yasuhara Nihonga-ten: Sokohakatonaku Tadayou Mori no Ibuki (Nihombashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo) |
| 2022 | Drawing Book Launch Exhibition: Shigemi Yasuhara (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) |
| 2021 | Shigemi Yasuhara (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) |
| 2018 | Shigemi Yasuhara-ten (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) Shigemi Yasuhara-ten (Sendai Mitsukoshi, Miyagi) |
| 2015 | Shigemi Yasuhara-ten (Art Space Rashinban, Tokyo) |
| 【Selected Group Exhibitions】 | |
| 2022 | Art on Paper（Pier 36, Downtown Manhattan, SEIZAN Gallery Booth, New York） |
| 2018 | NIHONGA：CONTEMPORARY ART OF JAPAN (SEIZAN Gallery New York、New York) |
| 2017 | Kaku no Kai (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) Something Precioius: Strawberry (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) Ma no Kouzou-ten (Iwasaki Museum, Kanagawa) |
| 2016 | Taira no Kai (Art Space Rashinban, Tokyo) Dialogues avec les aînés (Galerie 48, Lyon) Natsu no Geijutsusai 2016: Jisedai wo ninau wakate sakka sakuhin-ten (Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo) |
| 2015 | Tokyo University of the Arts Doctoral Program Final Exhibition 2015 (The University Art Museum, Tokyo) |
| 2014 | Kaku no Kai (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo) The 2nd Mukyu noKai (Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo) Exhibition for research presentation: Hosen cultural foundation (Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo) |
| 2013 | In-ten in spring In-ten (through 2014) |
| 2012 | Graduation Works Exhibitions (Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo) The 27th Yume no kai (Seibu Ikebukuro, Tokyo) Romania-ten (Hotel Chinzanso, Tokyo) Kansei kinen-ten Koumyouin Shouhekiga “Hasuike-zu” (Fei Art Museum Yokohama, Kanagawa) |
| 2010 | Graduation Works Exhibitions (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo) |
| 【Public Collections】 | |
| The University of Art Museum Tokyo University of The Arts Yamatane Museum of Art (Tokyo) Colección SOLO (Madrid, Spain) |
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| 【Awards】 | |
| 2019 | Grand prize at the Yamatane Museum of Art, Nihonga Award (Yamatane Museum of Arts, Tokyo) |
| 2016 | Nomura Art Award for Thesis Work (Tokyo Medical and Dental University) Ikuo Hirayama Art and Culture Award |
| 2015 | Hirayama Ikuo Culture and Art Scholarship (Tokyo University of the Arts) |
| 2011 | Honorable Mention for Thesis Work (Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Liberal Arts Department) |
| 2008 | Ataka Award Scholarship (Tokyo University of the Arts) |
| 【Others】 | |
| 2022 | Front page design of the book What Will You Do, Ieyasu? by Ryota Kosawa, Fuyu Kimata (2022-2023) published by NHK Publishing, Inc. (through 2023) Nihonga no Michishirube Shigemi Yasuhara Shitazu-shu (2022) published by Japan Publications,Inc. |
| 2021 | Art staff for the statue of Chikai Kitagawa at the Tōshōdai-ji, Nara |
| 2019 | 12 shoku de kakeru Hajimete no Nihonga Kyoushitsu (2019) published by Graphic-sha |
| 2015 | Conservation project of celling painting at the Yamatsumi Shrine, Fukushima |
| 2014 | Member of scientific analysis project of Shunsō Hishida |
| 2012 | Art staff for the Koumyouin Shouhekiga “Hasuike-zu” Conservation project of the Kakurin-ji, Hyogo |
| 2011 | Art staff for the Opera “Kentoshi” Art staff for the Zuishinmon Gate, Ōkunitama Shrine Instructor at the MI-LAB Artist-in-Residence |
Exhibitions
Drawing Book Launch Exhibition: Shigemi Yasuhara
18/04/2022(mon) - 27/04/2022(wed)
Shigemi Yasuhara
19/04/2021(mon) - 27/04/2021(tue)
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
Shigemi Yasuhara Exhibition
25/05/2018(fri) - 07/06/2018(thu)
Shigemi Yasuhara
KAKU no KAI
13/01/2017(fri) - 27/01/2017(fri)