Suzuki, Sculpture to tell the Story of Tokyo

Japanese sculptor Tomoaki Suzuki presents four new wooden sculptures created specifically for this exhibition in Tokyo. Suzuki selects his models from young people he encounters in the contemporary city, portraying real individuals with current clothing and accessories such as piercings, tattoos, tech gadgets, or fashionable garments. Each figure reflects the urban style and cultural identity of the Japanese metropolis, offering a realistic presence that combines traditional craftsmanship with attention to contemporary fashion. The isolated and static nature of the sculptures, placed directly on the floor without pedestals and in close proximity to one another, creates an atmosphere of urban solitude. Their spatial arrangement amplifies the viewer’s sense of passive participation, as if in dialogue with the city but without eye contact between the subjects. In this way, Suzuki captures the ongoing social and cultural transformation through a visual ritual that blends corporeality, materiality, and time. In an age dominated by digital imagery and generative artificial intelligence, Suzuki’s work responds with a tactile and tangible approach to sculpture that questions the material value of the object, asserting a physical presence far removed from virtuality. The contrast between the apparent spontaneity of the models and the slow, laborious process of hand-carving wood highlights the tension between contemporary speed and the enduring nature of handcrafted art.