ARTIST INFO

Seiichi SHIBATA

Seiichi SHIBATA

Seiichi Shibata (1984-) was born in Kagawa, Japan. Having grown up in Kobe from the age of four, he studied painting at Kyoto Seika University, before obtaining a master’s degree in Sculpture at Kyoto City University of Arts. Since 2017, he has been based in Fukuoka as a new environment.

Shibata started his career with the series of <paper cutting in layers>, intending the resonance of various colors and complicating figures produced by putting a cut paper on another. These exquisite images which evokes the inside of kaleidoscopes have gradually changed its form to the third-dimensional, including recent wooden reliefs.

From 2011 to 2015, Shibata attempted to shift his focus from “hand-making” to “concept” with figurative expressions of humans, animals or landscapes. Being shocked by the news of murder in his familiar place, he started expressing the abstract theme of “evil” with various techniques such as painting, wooden-print and papier mâché. Contrary to his first intension, however, this experiment has reinforced his inclination toward hand-making as his fundamental point. Then he began focusing on “hand-making” again, analyzing each technical process. After this procedure, he exhibited the series “Untitled” in 2016 (These reliefs made of wood and yellow ocher formed the basis of his most recent work.) The figures of earthy color hung in line on the wall look like bows or tribal masks, evoking something primitive in sharpened forms.

Today, Shibata has arrived at a new stage; he started engaging in art education to children after moving from Kobe to Fukuoka. The artist sees the similarity between children and himself in the behavior of “painting freely” beyond any given motifs or themes.

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Works

  • Title
    Untitled
    Size
    H700×W480×D310cm
    Year
    2016
    Medium
    wood, loess animal glue
  • Title
    Untitled
    Size
    H370×W200×D170cm
    Year
    2016
    Medium
    wood, loess animal glue
  • Title
    Untitled
    Size
    H380×W220×D140cm
    Year
    2016
    Medium
    wood, loess animal glue
  • Title
    Sync ~Cat and Sparrow~
    Size
    h1700×w1200(d50)mm
    Year
    2015
    Medium
    acrylic on wooden panel
  • Title
    Sync ~Sparrow~
    Size
    h100×w803(d23)mm
    Year
    2015
    Medium
    acrylic on wooden panel
  • Title
    Right-angled Relief, Woman
    Size
    h285×w90×d85 mm
    Year
    2014
    Medium
    acrylic on wood (Katsura)
  • Title
    Appearance of Ravens
    Size
    h1100×w1000×d250 mm
    Year
    2015
    Medium
    wood (Katsura, etc), acrylic, gouache
  • Title
    Untitled
    Size
    H700×W480×D310cm
    Year
    2016
    Medium
    wood, loess animal glue
  • Title
    Untitled
    Size
    H370×W200×D170cm
    Year
    2016
    Medium
    wood, loess animal glue
  • Title
    Untitled
    Size
    H380×W220×D140cm
    Year
    2016
    Medium
    wood, loess animal glue
  • Title
    Sync ~Cat and Sparrow~
    Size
    h1700×w1200(d50)mm
    Year
    2015
    Medium
    acrylic on wooden panel
  • Title
    Sync ~Sparrow~
    Size
    h100×w803(d23)mm
    Year
    2015
    Medium
    acrylic on wooden panel
  • Title
    Right-angled Relief, Woman
    Size
    h285×w90×d85 mm
    Year
    2014
    Medium
    acrylic on wood (Katsura)
  • Title
    Appearance of Ravens
    Size
    h1100×w1000×d250 mm
    Year
    2015
    Medium
    wood (Katsura, etc), acrylic, gouache

CV

1984
Born in Kagawa, Japan
1989
Moved to Suma, Kobe at the age of 4

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2011
“Seiichi SHIBATA”, Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2012
“Screw down to open the twisted world”, Gallery Hosokawa, Osaka
2015
“New Works”, Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2016
"New Wrorks" Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2019
"New Wrorks" Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2022
"Seiichi Shibata/ Te no Ishi" KOBE STUDIO Y3 (C.A.P.), Kobe
2023
Seiichi Shibata Print Exhibition, KOBE STUDIO Y3 (C.A.P.), Kobe

Selected Group Exhibitions

2009
“visible and invisible”, MATSUO MEGUMI+VOICE GALLERY pfs/w, Kyoto
2010
1 floor 2010 “Simplicity/Technique”, Kobe Art Village Centre
2011
“Recommended artists by galleries”, Art hall Kobe(Booth/ Gallery Yamaki Fine Art)
2011
“In search for the book”, Gallery Hosokawa, Osaka
2018
ARTISTS' FAIR KYOTO,Kyoto
2022
Open Call Exhibition "assembly", Job Space Rabo, Kobe
2022
Chemical Reactions7」Space31, Kobe
2023
"Group Show 30-40" KOBE STUDIO Y3 (C.A.P.), Kobe
2024
"◯exhibition○" KOBE STUDIO Y3, Kobe
2024
"Relief to Three Dimensional" Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2024
"Homage to Kenji Inumaki, The First Chapter: Like Jomon Lines" Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2024
Kaleidoscope: Fujii Toshiharu/Shibata Seiichi, Kyoto Seika University Gallery Terra-S, Kyoto