Toyoharu Kii

BIO:

Born in Japan in 1953. Graduated from the University of Fine Art and Music of Tokyo in 1977. Stayed in Italy for two years to study mosaic art. Returned to Japan in 1982 and opened mosaic studio “Atelier ING” to begin to work as a mosaicist.   Realized more than 90 mural mosaics. Participated in various exhibitions in Japan, France, Italy, America, Russia, Turkey, Australia.

  • Prizes: Chartres mosaic exhibition “Picassicette” , first prize; 2002,2008,2016. Second prize 2002.  Juror’s choice 2012.  SAMA annual exhibition 2017 first prize and juror’s choice. Kajima sculpture competition, prize of encouragement 2005, amongst others.
  • Solo exhibitions: Japan, France, USA, Italy.
  • Collections: Museo della citta di Ravenna, “Obelisk or thorns”2013


PRESENTATION: ‘My little revolution’

A revolution for me is the use of color. For around 10 years I was making white mosaics, using only white marble. With white mosaic, I expressed a story of rebirth of damaged nature. Nature damaged by human beings will be reborn when humans are gone. The reborn nature might have different characters. I use color hoping to express these characters.
A revolution of a larger scale might be a mosaic as street art.
There are several mosaic artists who express works in the city.
I don’t know much about this movement, yet I guess it has an important meaning.
There were mural mosaics in ancient times, and then in the 20th century, we started to make easel mosaics. Now there’s also the street mosaics. What can we learn from this field?