Poet and/the Bench Hosts “Muse for the Modern Age” – Join us for the first US Exhibition of Tokyo-Based Hideki Linuma’s Bold, Self-Possessed Figures, Adorned in Intricate, Fashion-Fforward Decoration, Exhibition Ongoing

Next up is “Muse for a Modern Age,” Tokyo-based Hideki Iinuma’s figures that he carves from a mass of wood, showing a new scale of sculpture. The artist uses both modern practices and the old ichiboku-zukuri technique, wherein the head and torso are carved from a single block of wood. He adorns his sculptures in intricate, fashion decoration: elaborate attire and tailored modern design. He paints in thick coats of acrylic paint, which still allows the wood grain to show through. 

VIEW THE COLLECTION HERE.

Hideki’s figures manifest presence that is effortless yet powerful, embodying a muse for the modern age: independent, expressive, and unafraid to take up space. They stand as testaments to identity and art as a reflection of the ever-evolving female spirit.

Hideki Iinuma was born in Matsumoto (Nagano Prefecture) in 1975. The artsy Matsumoto is a gateway to the Japan Alps and a destination in its own right. Apart from being home to Japan’s oldest extant castle, it is also the birthplace of avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama.

During his academic years, Hideki moved to Tokyo and Nagoya. In 2002, he went to France for further studies and later held exhibitions in countries including Germany, Italy, Switzerland and The Netherlands. His artistic creative abilities gained international recognition in Europe, even before Japan. This is his first show in the US, and Poet and/the Bench is excited to celebrate the bold, self-possessed figures of Hideki Iinuma’s sculptural world!

Poet and/the Bench hosted an Opening Reception on Tuesday April 1, 5:30-7:30pm, with the Exhibition Ongoing.

Muse for the Modern Age celebrates the bold, self-possessed figures of Japanese artist Hideki Iinuma’s sculptural world. The figures are carved from a mass of wood, showing a new scale of sculpture. The artist uses both modern practices and the old ichiboku-zukuri technique, wherein the head and torso are carved from a single block of wood. He adorns his sculptures in intricate, fashion decoration: elaborate attire and tailored modern design. He paints in thick coats of acrylic paint, which still allows the wood grain to show through. Hideki’s figures manifest presence that is effortless yet powerful, embodying a muse for the modern age: independent, expressive, and unafraid to take up space. They stand as testaments to identity and art as a reflection of the ever evolving female spirit. 

Read more: https://poetandthebench.com/blogs/news/conversations-with-an-artist-hideki-iinuma