TEZUKAYAMA GALLERY is pleased to announce Exhibition 2025, a solo exhibition by sculptor Yuki Tsukiyama, opening on July 12.

Tsukiyama was born in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture in 1976, he graduated from the Sculpture Course in the Department of Fine Art at Kyoto University of Art in 2000. Since then, he has remained based in his hometown of Kobe and has been actively working throughout the Kansai region. As of June 2023, he also serves as the director of C.A.P. (The Conference on Art and Projects), an artist community in Kobe committed to fostering positive relationships between art and society.

Tsukiyama works with a wide range of materials, including metal, resin, wood, and paint, but the starting point of his creative process is always the material itself through what he describes as “play,” a process of repeated experimentation. Through what he describes as “play” – a process of repeated experimentation – he uncovers the inherent characteristics of each material. He allows these qualities to become integral to the concept of his work. This consistent approach is a defining feature of his practice.

In this exhibition, Tsukiyama presents works developed from a large camphor tree he received from an acquaintance’s company four years ago after allowing the wood to dry slowly and thoroughly.　He began to envision new forms that would take shape from it. Watching children build houses and bridges freely within video games, Tsukiyama recalls thinking, “Why don’t they try making something with their own hands?” This reflection became the inspiration for the current body of work.　

For Tsukiyama, play is a way for children to discover what they love and to act upon their own desires—and in that sense, it is also a fundamental expression of human culture and society. By creating these works through acts of play, Tsukiyama invites viewers to share in the joy of creation and to reconsider the intrinsic value of making.

Artist Statement

The idea came to me while watching children enthusiastically build houses and pitfalls in video games, one after another. I tried telling them, “Wouldn’t it be more fun to actually build something like that in real life?” But they just looked at me blankly.

Camphor trees—kusunoki, the official tree of Hyogo Prefecture—release a refreshing aroma every time I cut into them. The scent stimulates my brain and shifts my mindset into what I call “woodcarving mode.” While I’ve continued to produce works that don’t rely on any single material, There’s no doubt that the camphor tree is a special presence for me.　

I contrast the tree’s natural, felled form with grid-like sections shaped by saws and chisels, like in a video game. Each day’s effort builds on the last. The work I put in today becomes the skill I need to ease the burdens of tomorrow. Bit by bit, with steady daily progress, this sculpture has come into being.

Back in 2020, when I presented 6G, I declared I would never pick up a saw again. And yet, here I am—pulling the saw, sharpening my blades, hammering chisels. I suppose I simply enjoy the tension between tools and materials. Through repeated trial and error, I mobilize every bit of technique and creativity I have. I hope that, in some way, the joy and fascination I find in the act of making things comes through to you.