TOSHIMITSU ITO, Hiroshima City University Professor, Japan

1959 Born in Chiba
1987 MFA Sculpture, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
1998 Studied at Düsseldorf Art Academy, Germany
2006-07 Studied in Graduate School of Art, University of Pennsylvania, on Japanese Government Overseas Study Program for Artists
2019-22 Dean, Faculty of Arts, Hiroshima City University
2008- Professor, Faculty of Arts (Sculpture)

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2009 “Liquidscape,” Izumi Museum of Art, Hiroshima
2013 Yachiyono Oka Museum of Art
2018 Fei Art Museum, Yokohama

Selected Group Exhibitions

1987 “Art Document ’87,” Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, Tochigi
2017 “Taoyuan International Driftwood Art Festival,” The Fenghe Park, Taoyuan, Taiwan
2018 “Fire Art Festa 2018- Song Dedicated to Fire,” 2018 PyeongChang Cultural Olympic’s main Event, Gangneung, Korea
2011-21 “Tsushima Art Fantasia 2011,” Tsushima, Nagasaki Pref.
2016,19,22 “Setouchi Triennale 2016,” Shodoshima, Kagawa Pref.

LAND MEMORY AND ART WORK

In recent years in East Asia (from around 2010), art festivals have been held that are rooted in the history, culture, and climate of different regions. In many cases, residents of these regions and local governments act as organizers of the exhibitions, working with professional producers specializing in the visual arts to plan and host the festivals. Since the 2000s, Japan's rural population has been declining and aging at an accelerating rate, and the unique culture and living environment of rural areas are disappearing. Artists participating in the art festivals draw inspiration from the history and climate of these regions and create their works with the cooperation of local residents. The relationship between the artwork and its surroundings is an important element of the exhibition, as the artists themselves decide where their artwork will be installed.
Since 2016, I have been participating in the "SETOUCHI TRIENNALE," which is one of the factors contributing to the spread of the art festival as we know it today, and have been creating large outdoor sculptures with the cooperation of students and local residents. In this presentation and workshop, I will introduce artworks created for the SETOUCHI TRIENNALE and for a series of exhibitions I produced called "TSUSHIMA ART FANTASIA," focusing on the importance of artists exploring local environments and the effects of installing artworks in these environments.