SANTUARIO No.344｜2012｜H50xW20xD10 cm｜Marble&Wood

Isao Sugiyama Solo Exhibition “SANTUARIO”

Press Release

Title Isao Sugiyama Solo Exhibition “SANTUARIO” Date June 28st (Sat) – August 2th (Sat)

Venue Tokyo Gallery + BTAP｜Tokyo 7F, 8-10-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0061, JAPAN TEL: 03-3571-1808 / FAX: 03-3571-7689

Gallery hours (Tue – Fri) 11:00-19:00 (Sat）11:00-17:00 Closed Sundays, Mondays, Holidays

Opening June 28st (Sat)｜16:00-18:00 at Tokyo Gallery + BTAP

Inquiries Tang Jie（jie.tang@tokyo-gallery.com）

SANTUARIO No.355 2013｜H12xW43xD32 cm｜Marble

SANTUARIO No.346 2013｜H23xW10xD7 cm｜Marble & Wood

Tokyo Gallery + BTAP is pleased to present Santuario, a solo exhibition by Sugiyama Isao, opening

on Saturday 28 June. This, the artist’s second solo exhibition at Tokyo Gallery and will showcase

works dating from the 1990s to the present.

Sugiyama Isao obtained his undergraduate and

postgraduate degrees from Tokyo Zokei University in

1977 and 1983 respectively. In 1983 Sugiyama

moved to Italy to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in

Carrara. Since graduating in 1990 the artist has

remained in Italy, and has based himself in Milan and

Carrara. Sugiyama’s works have been exhibited in

solo and group exhibitions, mostly in Europe, the

United States and art fairs around the world.

Sugiyama’s carvings use marble and wood as their motif. The artist uses the contrast between

stone, which wears down gradually over time, and wood, which ages and disappears much more

rapidly the invokes opposition the idea of different materials being affected by different types of time,

and to create harmony between disparate objects. Sugiyama uses unworked marble to signify

nature. This contrasts with the polished roofs and walls that the artist positions in this natural setting

which represent architecture, a product of human knowledge and ability. Sugiyama’s works refer to

the relationship between nature and civilization.

Having resided in Italy since 1983, Sugiyama has taken on Western

knowledge and sensibilities while at the same time delving into the

traditional Asian culture that forms the base of artistic insights. While

Westerners see the natural environment as something to be

controlled, Asians very much see the environment as something to

respect and co-exist with: in investigating the relationship between

humans and the natural environment, Sugiyama’s works have a

gently introspective feel, grounded in a devotion for gods and nature.

You are invited to take this opportunity to see the works of Sugiyama Isao, an artist who manages

to strike a perfect balance between Western and Eastern wisdom. An opening reception will be held

from 4pm on Saturday 28 June with the artist in attendance.

Isao Sugiyama (1954 Born in Shizuoka, Japan) 1977 B.A. Sculpture Major, Tokyo Zokei Univeristy

1983 Degree of specialization, Tokyo Zokei University

1990 B.A. Sculpture Major, Accademia di Belle Arti

Selected Exhibitions

1984 Tamagawa Open-Air Sculpture and Textile Exhibition, Tokyo

1987 Expo Arte, Bari, Italy

1988 “Un Luogo della Scultura Tendenza e Suggestione”, Florence, Italy

Biennale Off ’88 Young Artists of Mediterranea Europe, Bologna, Italy

1989 Galleria del Naviglio (solo show), Milan, Italy (‘89,’94, ’98, ’02, ’04, ’06)

1990 Azur Gallery, Aichi, Japan

1992 “Giappone - Italia: Giovani generazioni”, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna and The

Japan Foundation, Rome, Italy

Salon de Mars (solo show), Paris, France, Galleria del Naviglio

1994 “Seven Japanese Artists in Italy today”, Embassy of Japan, Rome, Italy

1995 Galerie Academia (solo show), Salzburg, Austria

1999 Galerie Claude Bernard (solo show), Paris, France

2000 Galleria Gagliardi, San Gimignano, Italy

(’00, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10)

2001 “Artisti stranieri in Toscana”, Fondazione Sergio Vacchi, Siena, Italy

“Cinque artisti giapponesi”, Villa Bottini, Lucca, Italy

Galleria Gagliardi (solo show), San Gimignano, Italy

2004 Naviglio Modern Art (solo show), Milan, Italy (’06)

2006 Naviglio Modern Art (solo show), Milan Italy

2007 21th Nuova Biennale del Muro Dipinto, Piazzale della Rocca, Dozza, Italy

2008 Sala d’ercole, Palazzo d’accursio, Bologna, Italy

2010 “SANTUARIO” Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, Tokyo

“ACQUISIZIONI2010” Civic Museum Paris Valle, Maccagno, Italy

2011 ARTE COME SALVAZIONE”, Parco del gran teatro Puccini, Torre del Lago, Italy

2012 La Stanza del Vento(solo show), Montemarcello, Italy

“Micro salon 2012” Tokyo gallery+BTAP, Tokyo

2013 “SINTASSI CONTEMPORANEE della Raccolte del Museo”, Civic Museum

Paris Valle, Maccagno, Italy

“Arte in terapia”, Ex chiesa di Sant’Agata, Spoleto, Italy

“Micro salon 2013” Tokyo gallery+BTAP、Tokyo