Japanese Literary Awards

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Shigeo Toya

とや しげお

Toya Shigeo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-12-24 （Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Resident of Saitama Prefecture, Japan

Career

Occupations
Sculptor, Art educator
Active Years
1974-
Affiliations
Professor Emeritus, Musashino Art University, ShugoArts (representing gallery)
Influenced By
Post-minimalism, Mono-ha, Japanese wood-carving tradition

Education

Aichi Prefectural University of Arts
Graduate School / Sculpture Department
Year of Graduation: 1975
Country: Japan
Completed graduate studies in sculpture

Awards

Asakura Fumio Prize
1988
Organization: Asakura Fumio Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Nagano City Sculpture Prize
1990
Organization: Nagano City
Result: Winner
Takashimaya Cultural Foundation Emerging Artist Encouragement Award (3rd)
1993
Organization: Takashimaya Cultural Foundation
Result: Winner
Hirakushi Denchu Prize
1995
Organization: Hirakushi Denchu Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Gwangju Biennale Asia Award
2000
Organization: Gwangju Biennale
Result: Winner
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
2004
Organization: Art Encouragement Prize (MEXT)
Result: Winner
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2009
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: Recipient
Nakahara Teijiro Prize
2015
Organization: Nakahara Teijiro Memorial Museum of Sculpture (Asahikawa)
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Forest (series)

1984 Sculpture (wood carving)

A series made by carving wood with a chainsaw. Using the forms of forests and trees, the works investigate sculptural issues such as "surface," "boundary," "shadow," and "existence."

forestsurfaceboundaryshadowexistence

From 'Boundary' (series)

1994 Sculpture

A series that starts from the concept of 'boundary,' re-presenting issues such as individual bodies, houses, and skins through sculptural structure.

boundaryrelationssurfaceindividual

Minimal Baroque (series)

2000 Sculpture

A series attempting forms that combine minimalist simplicity with baroque layering. Characterized by repetition of small units and multilayered compositions.

minimalismrepetitionstructure

Memory of Caves

2011 Sculpture

A body of works exhibited including at the Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum. Expresses temporality and traces related to caves and hollows.

cavememorytimetrace

Renguteki (Renga-like) series

1995 Sculpture

A series referencing the associative structure of haiku and renga, emphasizing chains of parts and interrelationships.

chainrelationalitylanguage and form

Bibliography

  • Toya Shigeo — Wandering Woods, International Arts Center Aomori (ed.), Aomori, 2001
  • Shigeo Toya — Sculpture to Emerge, Musashino Art University Museum & Library (ed.), 2017

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Rough-surfaced expression using chainsaw carvingConceptual forms rooted in post-minimalismExperimental methods questioning relations of material and space
Recurring Motifs
forestwoodsurfaceboundaryshadowrelation

Legacy

He established a distinctive practice in wood sculpture and is represented in major museum collections in Japan and abroad. As an educator he has trained younger artists for many years and left a lasting impact on contemporary Japanese sculpture.

Museums

  • Aichi Prefectural University of Arts Aichi Prefecture, Japan
  • Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
  • Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum Nagaizumi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
  • The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo Tokyo, Japan

Archives

  • Musashino Art University Museum & Library
  • National Museum of Art, Osaka (collection)
  • Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (collection)

Trivia

  • Known for carving wood with a chainsaw.
  • Professor Emeritus at Musashino Art University.
  • Born December 24, 1947 (Nagano City).
  • Works are held in numerous museum collections in Japan and abroad.