Tsukasa Wakikawa
Artist Statement
Many Japanese people, myself included, have lived within two religious ways of thinking: Shinto and Buddhism. Shinto understands all things as inhabited by spirit and encourages a sense of reverence toward nature. Buddhism, on the other hand, reflects on the meaning of life and death and turns awareness inward. The coexistence of these outward- looking and inward-looking perspectives, woven into everyday life, lies at the foundation of Japanese sensibility.
Rather than being experienced strictly as “religion,” these two ways of thinking are integrated into daily life through practical actions and habits, becoming a natural part of our everyday conduct.
Today, the world, nature, and the human mind continue to change—quietly, yet profoundly. War, climate change, and the movement of people across borders are not distant events; they influence our own ways of living and the values we hold. Living in a time that constantly reminds us of humanity’s smallness before nature and the difficulty of satisfying endless desire, I find myself returning to the question of how we should live.
Through my art, I hope to create a space for quiet dialogue between people—a place to pause, reflect, and think. The central themes of my work are reverence for nature and the cycle of life. I paint while imagining the presence of spirit within nature, along with cells, circulating energy, and invisible forces that cannot be seen with the eye. The grids that appear in my work may resemble clusters of cells, but they can also be seen as structures formed by individuals coming together as a society. Though they may appear orderly at times, they also shift, break down, and transform, containing both decay and renewal.
My paintings bring together cultural sensibilities absorbed since childhood with personal memories and lived experience. Moving back and forth between Shinto and Buddhist perspectives, I continue to create as a way of re-examining both the world around me and my own inner self.
Biography
EDUCATION
1981 MFA, Tokyo University of the Arts
1979 BFA in Printmaking, Tokyo University of the Arts
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
1981-2016 Painter and instructor based in Murakami, Niigata, Japan. Worked in
1981-2016 Design and education
1998. Resumed artistic practice
EXHIBITIONS
2025 Art Incubation New York Exhibition, Max Gallery, New York, USA (Awardees & Selected Artists Group Exhibition)
2011 Acrylic Painting Exhibitions, Hitsuji Gallery (Niigata) Popolare Gallery (Murakami);
2008 Printmaking Exhibition, Sekikawa Village History Museum, Niigata 2006 Two-Person Exhibition, Toki Gallery, Niigata
2001–2005 Watercolor & Print Exhibitions, Sakai Gallery, Murakami 1998 Watercolor Drawing Exhibition, Sakai Gallery, Murakami
1981 Solo Exhibition, Tamaya Art Gallery, Tokyo
AWARDS / JURIED SELECTIONS
2025 Luxembourg Art Prize, Artistic Merit Award (Certificate of Recognition) Art Incubation New York (Juried Selection)
2024 Luxembourg Art Prize, Artistic Merit Award (Certificate of Recognition) Art Incubation New York (Juried Selection)
2023 Luxembourg Art Prize, Artistic Merit Award (Certificate of Recognition)
2022 Luxembourg Art Prize, Artistic Merit Award (Certificate of Recognition)
2020 Luxembourg Art Prize, Artistic Merit Award (Certificate of Recognition)
2002 Yamamoto Kanae Print Award Exhibition, Honorable Mention
2001 Kanagawa International Print Triennial (Juried Selection)
1981 International Print Biennial, Yugoslavia (Juried Selection)
1980 Asian Youth Art Exhibition, Honorable Mention
1979 Ohashi Award, Tokyo University of the Arts