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Hideki Iinuma
Born: 1975, Nagano, Japan
Lives and works: Tokyo, Japan

Artist Statement

Hideki Iinuma carves the female figures found in fashion magazines, Instagram, and Pinterest, translating fleeting, disposable images into the enduring medium of wood. Each pose and outfit, ordinarily consumed and forgotten within moments, is recorded and archived through the act of carving. In this sense, the sculpture functions as a document: a still trace of a body that otherwise exists only in passing.
The process of carving is itself understood as a performative, bodily act. Through the interplay of the model’s body, fashion, and the passage of time, sculpture becomes an ambivalent object—simultaneously a fixed document and a vessel that retains a raw sense of physical presence.
Technically, Iinuma’s work is grounded in ichiboku-zukuri, the single-block carving technique used in Japan until the 10th century, combined with a distinctive surface treatment that leaves the wood grain visible beneath the paint. Drawing on the expressionist rawness associated with Georg Baselitz, alongside a postmodern strategy of appropriation and sampling—extracting motifs directly from magazines and social media—Iinuma constructs a visual language that sits between Japanese traditional technique and the currents of Western art history.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2016–2026

  • 2026Exhibition, Vigilius Mountain Resort, South Tyrol, Italy
  • 2025Marian Cramer Projects, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • 2025Wood Carving Workshop & Presentation, Vigilius Mountain Resort, South Tyrol, Italy
  • 2024“Roulette”, UG Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2024“Recto Verso”, Otherwise Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2022“Pro File Picture”, SNOW Contemporary, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2021“Symptoms”, SNOW Contemporary, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2020“TENTACLE”, Marian Cramer Projects, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • 2018“New Works”, Marian Cramer Projects, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • 2018“Tokyo Paradise”, SNOW Contemporary, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2017“Amazon Nile Taklamakan”, SNOW Contemporary, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2016“Fighting Goddesses”, Matsumoto City Museum of Art, Nagano, Japan

2002–2014

  • 2014“6th Sense”, SNOW Contemporary, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2011“Beauties”, XYZ Collective [SNOW Contemporary], Tokyo, Japan
  • 2011“Beauties”, SLANT, Kanazawa, Japan
  • 2010Marian Cramer Projects, The Netherlands
  • 2006Fabian & Claude Walter Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland
  • 2005Ernst Barlach Prize Exhibition, Hamburg, Germany
  • 2004Cornelius Pleser Gallery, Munich, Germany
  • 2002Maison Billaud, Fontenay-le-Comte, France

Selected Group Exhibitions & Art Fairs

2021–2026

  • 2026“Wood Sculpture Group Exhibition 2026”, Neptune Gallery, Tainan, Taiwan
  • 2026“ART SHINSAIBASHI”, UG Gallery, SPACE14・PARCO GALLERY, Osaka, Japan
  • 2025Marian Cramer Projects Pop-up during Art Basel Paris, France
  • 2025Art Rotterdam 2025, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  • 2025W 568 Exclusive Exhibition, GIN HUANG Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
  • 2025“Muse for the Modern Age”, Poet and the Bench, San Francisco, CA, USA
  • 2024“START Box EXHIBITION vol.1”, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2023“Art Session Part 1”, Ginza Tsutaya Books, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2023“EAST EAST TOKYO”, SNOW Contemporary, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2022Art Fair Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2021ART TAIWAN, GIN HUANG Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
  • 2021Art Fair Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

2011–2017

  • 2017“Echoes from the Past | Tokyo | Berlin | Kerava”, Kerava Museum, Finland
  • 2015“LUMINE meets ART AWARD”, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2011Tongerlohuys Museum, Roosendaal, The Netherlands

Forthcoming Exhibitions

  • 2026Marian Cramer Projects, Paris, France

Awards & Prizes

  • 2016Grand Prize, LUMINE meets ART AWARD 2015, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2013Special Recognition Award, Rokko Meets Art, Hyogo, Japan
  • 2005Ernst Barlach Prize, Hamburg, Germany
  • 2004First Prize, International Wood Sculpture Symposium, Dresden, Germany
  • 2001French Government Scholarship for Study Abroad
  • 1999INOAC International Education Foundation Scholarship, Aichi, Japan

Education

  • 1994 – 1998Bachelor of Arts, Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan
  • 1998 – 2001Master of Fine Arts, Aichi Prefecture University of Fine Arts, Aichi, Japan
  • 2002 – 2004Diplôme National d’Arts Plastiques, École Régionale des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France

Public Collections

  • Matsumoto City Museum of Art, Japan
  • Ernst Barlach Museum, Germany
  • The Kalevala Society Foundation, Finland
  • Art and Museum Centre Sinkka, Finland
  • Taguchi Art Collection, Japan
  • Swagemakers Collection, The Netherlands
  • Vigilius Mountain Resort, Italy

Interview with Sculptor Hideki Iinuma

In Their Own Words

Q. Describe the moment you realized art fed your soul.

I have been engaged in art since childhood. However, I truly realized its deep connection to my soul when I began working primarily with wood. Specifically, the tactile sensation, resistance, and organic nature of the material created a sense of dialogue between me and something beyond myself.

Q. What themes do you pursue in your art?

My work explores the interaction between tradition, contemporary art, and fashion. In doing so, it reflects the passage of time and impermanence. I am particularly influenced by the aesthetics of wabi-sabi, as well as the dialogue between Japanese and Western art.

Q. What influences the direction of your craft?

I am influenced by traditional Japanese woodcarving techniques. However, I also incorporate abstract and modern forms, drawing inspiration from abstract painters such as Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock. Often, the grain and texture of the wood guide my creative decisions.

Q. How has your work developed over time?

Initially, my work was functional and representational. Over time, however, it evolved into more abstract and conceptual forms. In particular, experimenting with different types of wood and surface treatments, and blending Western art and fashion with wood sculpture, has become an essential part of my creative practice.

Q. What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?

My chisels. Indeed, each tool carries the history of my practice and defines the quality of my work.

Q. Do you collect anything?

I collect Choro-Q pullback toy cars from Japan. For me, they evoke nostalgia for Japan’s post-war automotive industry, as well as childhood memories of model cars and miniatures. In short, each toy carries a story and a connection to the past.

Q. What’s the most inspiring thing you’ve seen, read, watched, or listened to recently?

I am inspired by stories of painters. In particular, documentaries on German artists such as Anselm Kiefer and Gerhard Richter, who create in harmony with their souls, deeply resonate with my approach to sculpture.

Q. What advice would you give to your younger self about your artistic journey?

Trust the process, and embrace mistakes. Often, the imperfections in the material and technique lead to unexpected beauty and new creative paths.

Q. Bonus Question: What role does music play for you while you work?

I sometimes live-stream my work on Instagram and YouTube, using royalty-free AI-generated music. In addition, I create and listen to my own lo-fi, chill sounds to stay focused while working.

Q. Is there anything collectors need to know about care? Dusting? Any materials to use and NOT TO USE?

There is nothing to be particularly careful about. However, the color paint is strong because it is coated with acrylic paint. That said, if exposed to direct sunlight for 20 years, the red color may fade. If you want to store it for a long time, you should wrap it in a cotton cloth. Since the tree is breathing, do not seal it in a plastic bag. If dust accumulates, it may cause stains, so please dust it at least once every six months. Finally, please avoid touching it with your hands as much as possible.

View selected works →

日本語で読む / Japanese version →

Hideki Iinuma, contemporary sculptor, wood sculpture