Keizo Ushio

Keizo Ushio lives and works in Japan.

Keizo Ushio was born and currently resides in Fukusaki Town, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from the National Kyoto University in 1974 and completed his study at Kyoto City University of Arts Graduate School in 1976. He lectured at the Kyoto Educational University and Awaji Architecture School until 1993 when he was began to work full time on developing his signature style of sculpting. He is a member of the Japan Artists Association and the Hyogo Prefecture Sculptor Association and was the Vice Chair and Coordinator for the Nisiharima International Stone Sculpture Symposium in 1995 in Japan.

Keizo is a significant Japanese sculptor who has achieved international success with his spectacular granite sculptures. Celebrated for his ingenious carving technique which is influenced by the mathematics of the Mobius Strip, Keizo has been exhibiting in Australia at Sculpture by the Sea exhibitions since 1999.

Keizo had worked in steel as part of his family’s business when he was younger but it was the stone factory near his home that sparked his interest in working with stone. In the 70s and 80s in Japan, outdoor sculpture began to spread throughout Japan at an explosive rate and in 1979 he showed a work at the Hakone Open-Air Museum where he was awarded the 1st Henry Moore Grand Prix Exhibition Prize. With the prize money he toured through Europe, looking at sculpture, and then India, where he was inspired by the local stone sculptors who were using hand tools, a practice that had long ago fallen out of fashion in Japan.

Sculpting with stone, Keizo produces geometrical forms that consider ideas of space and time, and consequently appear monolithic and eternal. He writes of his work: “I want to tell a story of man’s wisdom, exceeding both space and time. My sculpture is the proof of my existence”.

Keizo has achieved something of a celebrity status from mathematicians and sculptors for his magnificent manipulation of the Mobius Strip, typically known as a one-sided, one-edged surface, which is notoriously difficult to create with materials of great weight and density. This reversed loop seems incompatible with the hardness of the stone but it symbolizes and skilfully expresses the unity of a contrary nature and lies at the core of what makes his work so interesting. Keizo has been producing Mobius sculpture for over twenty years. His stone carving is recognized throughout the world for his mastery of the difficult technique in carving intertwining ribbons of stone and three-dimensional circles.

The notable Japanese artist Horiuchi Masakazu first saw Keizo’s work in 1979 at Hakone and coined a phrase to describe Keizo’s work, “Oushi Zokei”. There are many different interpretations; it literally means “bull design”, as the Mobius works appeared to him inverted and curved like an ox’s tail. Another translation of “Oushi” is “deep truth”, “Zo” means “creating” or “forming” and “Kei” refers to “shape” or “form”. Thus overall “Oushi Zokei” alludes to the creation of twisted forms. It is also, of course, an anagram of the artist’s name.

Keizo has continued to use this title in his works. Initially the artist saw these works as having a large framework but now the sizes of these works vary from 30 centimetre circles to works four meters in width.

One of the highlights of the artist’s career was a 2003 commission to create a work to be sited by the Akashi-Straits Bridge, the world’s longest suspension bridge. He wrote of this work: “My work is the lens by which we see this dream bridge and our dreams of the future”.

Keizo has exhibited to international acclaim around the world, with his work represented at exhibitions, and in public and private collections in Japan, USA, Mexico, Spain, Iceland, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Israel, India, New Zealand and Australia. He is currently showing in New York at the Robert Steel Gallery. He has been awarded numerous honors for his sculptures, which reside in countries such as Japan, India, Spain, Australia, Norway, Iceland, Germany, and Tasman Island. He is regularly invited to and attends sculpture symposiums around the world. Since 1985, Keizo has participated in 17 international sculpture symposiums. In 2006 the artist was invited to Spain, to the International Congress of Mathematicians, to publicly produce a work which he did over a three week period.

The market for his works in Australia has grown significantly over a ten year period, making him a very sought after and collectable artist. Keizo will exhibit a very special work at the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition this year to mark the ten year anniversary of exhibiting in Australia.

Keizo Ushio

Born in 1951 in Fukusaki Town, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2008 Robert Steele Gallery, New York, USA

2005 Michael Reid Gallery, Sydney, Australia Urmont, Stein, Holland

2000 Daimaru Kobe, Hyogo, Japan Reykjavik, Iceland

1995 Gallery 16, Kyoto, Japan Yamatoyashiki, Himeji, Hyogo, Japan

1994 Gallery Iteza, Kyoto, Japan

1992 Erude Hall, Fukusaki, Hyogo, Japan

1991 Japan Artist Society Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1990 Nishi-Harima Culture Hall, Hyogo, Japan

1988 Commemorative Exhibition of Studio Establishment, Keizo Studio, Hyogo, Japan

1985 Gallery Suzuki, Kyoto, Japan

1983 Gallery 16, Kyoto, Japan

1980 Gallery 16, Kyoto, Japan 1979 Tokiwa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1976 Gallery 16, Kyoto, Japan

1975 Gallery Iteza, Kyoto, Japan

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2008 Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW, Australia Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA, Australia

2007 Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA Australia Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW, Australia

2006 Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA Australia Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW Australia Veksolund, Copenhagen, Denmark

2005 Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA Australia Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW Australia Veksolund, Copenhagen, Denmark

2004 Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW Australia Veksolund, Copenhagen, Denmark

2003 Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW Australia

2002 BRIDGES the Mathematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science

2002 Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW, Invited Artist.

2001 Sculpture in the City, 2001, Martin Place, Sydney, NSW Australia Sculpture by the Sea, 2001, Bondi, NSW Australia Sculpture by the Sea, 2001, Hobart, Tasmania Australia 2000 Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW Australia

1999 ISAMA99 Spain San Sebastian, Invited Artist. Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW Australia

1998 9th Exhibition, Form in Art, Hyogo Prefectural Modern Art Museum, Invited Artist

1998 Exhibition of Art and Craft from Himeji city awarded artists, Himeji Syosha Art and Craft Museum, Invited Artist

1997 17th Contemporary Japan Sculpture Exhibition

1996 The 3rd Asago Open-Air Sculpture Exhibition, Hyogo, Japan

1993 Japanese Sculpture Exhibition, Ube Open Air Art Museum

1993 The 15th Japan Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, Ube Open-Air Art Museum, Yamaguchi, Japan

1992 The 13th Kobe Suma Detached Palace Garden Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, Hyogo, Japan

1991 International Design Competition Panel Exhibition, Kyoto Prefecture Culture Museum, Japan

1990 The 1st Tokai Village Friendly Sculpture Exhibition, Ibaraki, Japan The 2nd Adachi Ward Open-Air Sculpture Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan The 3rd Sanda Sculpture Competition, Hyogo, Japan

1988 The 1st Stone Sculpture Exhibition, Kagawa, Japan

ACHIEVEMENTS / MAJOR PRIZES

2008 Artist in residence, Gomboc Gallery and Studio, WA, Australia Artist in residence, Museum of Asago Art Village, Asago, Japan

2005 Awarded 1st Prize the 18th Salon International Art Libramont, Belgium

2004 Acquisition the highest award in Nagahama sculpture competition "Symbol monument of the Hideyoshi Toyotomi commemoration”, Shiga, Japan

1998 Invited the 7th Mallot-Talsiha sculpture symposium awarded the 1st prize (Israel) 1998 Awarded City Art and Culture Prize for art (Himeji City Government)

1996 Awarded Grand Prix at Asago Open Air Sculpture Exhibition

1995 Awarded Citizen Prize at Asago Open Air Sculpture Exhibition 1994 Award Recipient, Asago Open Air Sculpture Exhibition

1993 Awarded Silver Prize at the ORC 200 Sculpture Competition, (Osaka city)

1993 Awarded Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art Prize at the 15th Modern Japanese Sculpture Exhibition (Ube Open Air Art Museum)

1992 Awarded Asahi Newspaper Prize (Citizen Prize at the 13th Kobe Sumarikyu Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition

1992 Awarded Prize at OUR Tokushima Sculpture Grand Prix

1991 Awarded the 1st Hyogo Prefecture Rising Artists Scholarship Prize

1990 Awarded Scholarship Prize, 1st Mihama town International Sculpture Biennale in Fukui

1990 Awarded Special Prize, Tokai Village Friendly Sculpture Exhibition in Ibaragi Prefecture (Purchased by Tokai Village)

1990 Award Recipient, 2nd Adachi City Open Air Sculpture Exhibition in Tokyo.

1990 Awarded Grand Prix at the 3rd Sanda Sculpture Competition

1988 Awarded Festival Prize, 1st Stone Sculpture Exhibition in Kagawa Prefecture

1979 Award Recipient, 1st Henry Moore Grand Prix Exhibition Hakone Open Air Museum

ASSOCIATED EXPERIENCE

2006 ICM “International Congress of Mathematicians”, Madrid, Spain

2005 International Sculpture Symposium, Stein, Holland

2004 Ikawa Stone Sculpture Symposium, Akita, Japan

2003 Sculpture by the Sea

2003 Symposium, Sculpture in Public Space, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Lecturer, "Dream lens” “Shiso International Sculpture Symposium”, Hyogo, Japan

2002 City Sites International Stone Symposium, Kettering, Ohio, USA ‘Bridge Conference the Mathematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science’, Maryland, USA

2001 ‘Kanzaki International Sculpture Symposium’, Hyogo, Japan

2000 The Norge International Sculpture Symposium, Norway Culture City

2000, Reykjavik, Iceland The 5th Obernkirchen Sculpture Symposium, Germany

1999 International Society of Arts, Mathematics and Architects, San Sebastian, Spain Sweet Water International Sculpture Symposium, Oakland, New Zealand

1998 The 7th Maalot-Tarshiha Sculpture Symposium, Israel

1997 The 4th Obernkirchen Sculpture Symposium, Germany

1995 -2003 Vice -Chairman Coordinator Nisiharima Stone Sculpture Symposium Committee　 1992 2nd Kasaoka Stone Sculpture Symposium, Kasaoka City- Okayama, Invited Artist 1991 South India International Sculpture Symposium, Madras, India

1990 The 2nd International Sculpture Symposium, South India

1989 The Kasaoka Sculpture Symposium, Kasaoka, Okayama, Japan

1988 1st International Sculpture Symposium in Kagawa.

1985-1986 Nishi-Harima Stone Sculpture Symposium, Hyogo, Japan

1985 - present Member of the Hyogo Prefecture Sculptor Association.

1980 - present Member of the Japan Artist Association.

EMPLOYMENT

1999-2002 Awaji Landscape Architecture School, Guest Professor

1997-2003 Kyoto Educational University, Lecturer

EDUCATION

1976 University of Arts Graduated School, Kyoto City