Sakai Kohta Japan, b. 1985

SAKAI Kohta (born in 1985 in Ibaraki, Japan) is a promising figure in the contemporary art world who is receiving great attention not only in Japan but also internationally through his work on carving using trees of various sizes and shapes. He completed his doctorate at Tsukuba University in 2014 and is currently working as a lecturer in Tokyo.

Wood, the most commonly used material in sculpture, is a familiar material found in our lives. However, as the techniques have become mechanically industrialized along with modernization, it is difficult to find a sculptor who works with wood materials. Of course, there are abstract or conceptual works using extremely general materials such as cement, iron, and branches, like Artepovera in the West, such as combining or mixing the wood itself with other materials. SAKAI Kohta chose such a material called "tree" in his work, and the subject of the work also targets very ordinary people and animals that are likely to be encountered in everyday life. However, a young artist who is now over 30 cannot carve an ordinary figure with traditional materials because he has not learned contemporary techniques that have become more realistic and dense than reality.

In an interview, Kohta said, "I often find myself with people passing by me by chance. What is the other 他?" My work focuses on examining my relationship with others and constantly finding myself in it. Born in ginkgo trees, these are others who exist in me, and they are also me. Furthermore, I believe that those people I will meet with my work elsewhere someday can also be myself. I don't think the world we see is that different."