IZUMI KATO

Renowned for applying paint directly with his hands and for his hand-chiseled wooden sculptures, Kato’s practice draws on Japanese myth, animism, and his own intuitive approach to form, earning him international acclaim and inclusion in major exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale.

Early Years

Kato was born in Shimane Prefecture, Japan—a region rich in myth and Shinto tradition—in 1969. He graduated from the Department of Oil Painting at Musashino Art University, Tokyo, in 1992. Before launching his artistic career, Kato worked as a manual labourer, an experience that influenced his physical, hands-on approach to art. He currently lives and works between Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Izumi Kato Artworks

Izumi Kato’s contemporary art practice is defined by his creation of surreal, embryonic humanoid figures through painting, sculpture, and installation. His works inhabit a liminal space between the physical and spiritual, the human and the otherworldly, often referencing Japanese folklore, shamanism, and the primal origins of life.

Painting with Hands and Primal Forms

Rejecting the conventional brush, Kato applies pigment directly to canvas with his hands, creating bold, simplified figures with bulbous heads, elongated limbs, and penetrating eyes. These forms, often reminiscent of embryos or ancient spirits, are rendered with smooth, uninterrupted lines and vibrant, clashing colours. Kato’s early works were more abstract, but since the late 1990s, his focus has shifted to figurative, mythic beings that evoke both universality and ambiguity.

Sculpture and Material Experimentation

Kato began making sculptures in 2005, initially to overcome creative blocks. His sculptures, often made from soft camphor wood, stone, or soft vinyl, retain visible tool marks and cracks, highlighting the artist’s physical engagement with his materials. These three-dimensional figures, like his paintings, appear as hybrids—part human, part spirit, part ancestor—reflecting both Japanese popular culture and ancient mythology.

Installations and Expanding Practice

Kato’s installations often feature groups of his figures arranged in immersive environments, inviting viewers into a world that is at once playful and uncanny. He continues to experiment with materials, incorporating textiles, plastic, aluminium, and bronze, and has developed a ‘supernatural pantheon’ of figures that allows him to explore a wide range of emotions and narratives.

Select Public Commissions

• Installation at Charleston, UK (2025)
• Large-scale wooden sculptures at Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo.

Izumi Kato Prize

The Izumi Kato Prize presented in collaboration with Fundación Casa Wabi, Mexico, was established in 2023 to support young Japanese artists.

Exhibitions

Izumi Kato has been the subject of both solo and group exhibitions at important galleries and institutions. Below is a selection of important exhibitions.

Solo Exhibitions

• Izumi Kato at Charleston, Charleston, UK (2025)
• Parasitic Plastic Models, Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2022–2023)
• STAND BY YOU, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, USA (2021–2022)
• LIKE A ROLLING SNOWBALL, Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo/Gunma (2019–2020)
• Izumi Kato, Fundación Casa Wabi, Puerto Escondido, Mexico (2019)
• Izumi Kato, Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing, China (2018)

Group Exhibitions

• 52nd Venice Biennale, Italy (2007)
• Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture, Japan Society, New York (2005)
• Visceral Sensation – Voices So Far, So Near, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
• Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Russia
• Seoul National University, South Korea

Kato’s works are held in major public collections, including the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (Tokyo), Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, The National Museum of Art (Osaka), and Long Museum (Shanghai).

Website

Izumi Kato’s website can be found here.

Izumi Kato FAQs

Ocula | 2025