Akihiro Hasegawa (長谷川 彰宏)

WORKS

  • Untitled, 2022

  • Untitled, 2021

  • Untitled, 2022

BIOGRAPHY

1997: Born in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture
2007: Enters the Buddhist priesthood at Saikyo Temple, Mt. Hiei
2016: Enters the Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, BFA Department of Design
2019: Completes Shidokegyo (Four Preliminary Practices) at Saikyo-ji Temple, Mt. Hiei (the general headquarters of the Tendai Shinsei sect)
2020: Enters the Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts, MFA Department of Design, Planning Theory Research Institute
2024: Graduates from Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts, MFA Department of Design, Planning Theory Research Institute

 

Akihiro Hasegawa (b. 1997, Mie Prefecture, Japan) is a contemporary artist based in Tokyo, Japan. A successor to a family-run temple, Hasegawa entered the Buddhist priesthood at Saikyo Temple, Mt. Hiei at 10 years old. By 19 years old, he enrolled in the Tokyo University of the Arts, the most prestigious art school in Japan, which, considering its notoriously low acceptance rate, is a rare and striking accomplishment. In 2019, he completed the Buddhist Shidokegyo (Four Preliminary Practices) and, in the following year, began his master’s degree at the Tokyo University of the Arts. His works mainly depict human figures. Eclectic and elaborate, they traverse a range of styles, from Byzantinesque oil pastel drawings to realistic portraits and experimental multilayered acrylic plate paintings. Overarching themes of his works include Buddhist imagery, ideas regarding the existence and potential of space and time in painting, and an inherent curiosity and affinity for human subjects. Hasegawa is an ALT Project creative director and a recipient of the distinguished Kuma Foundation grant.

[Solo Exhibitions]

2022  Yomogi & COMP, √K Contemporary (Tokyo)
2023    Luminescence, Ginza, GINZA TSUTAYA BOOKS (Tokyo)

[Group Exhibitions]

2017  SICF18 (18th Spiral Independent Creators Festival) Spiral Hall, Spiral Garden, MINA-TO (Tokyo)
2018  Wada Akiko ART HOBBY EXPO, Seibu Shibuya (Tokyo)
2018  Heisei no Okimiyage ~ Heisei Umare no Watashitachi Ga Kono Jidai ni Nokoshitaimono, 100creators (Tokyo)
2019  SHIBUYA STYLE vol.13, Seibu Shibuya (Tokyo)
2019  Muroto Shizen no Ie, National MUROTO Youth Outdoor Learning Center (Kochi)
2020  DEPARTURE 2020, Tokyo University of the Arts Design Department, Daikanyama Tsutaya Books (Tokyo)
2021  Ima Koko de Yokuikiru, ALT, MORIO Gallery (Tokyo)
2022  KUMA EXHIBITION 2022, Kuma Foundation, ANB Tokyo (Tokyo)
2023  Meet Your Art Festival 2023『Time to Change』, Warehouse Terrada B&C HALL (Tokyo)
2024  RE:FACTORY_2, WALL_alternative (Tokyo)

 

[Awards & Grants]
2017  Geidai Art in Marunouchi GAM Award Winner
2021  Kuma Foundation 5th Generation Creators Scholarship Grant

 

[Others]
2017  Art Institute Marunochi 2017,  Tokyo University of the Arts, Mitsubishi Estate (Tokyo) Live Painting
2018  NTT DOCOMO, Inc Promotional Event “dusty car” (Tokyo) Project Co-Ordination
2018  Marunouchi 15-chome Project (Tokyo) Live Painting
2018  Art Institute Marunochi 2018,  Tokyo University of the Arts, Mitsubishi Estate (Tokyo) Live Painting
2019  MOV ICHI, Shibuya Hikarie (Tokyo) Live Painting
2019  Muroto Shizen no Ie, National MUROTO Youth Outdoor Learning Center (Kochi) Live Painting
2019  Ringo Shiina Music Video, “Niwatori to Hebi to Buta”, “Snake Tank” Art Designer
2021  Ima Koko de Yokuikiru, ALT, MORIO Gallery (Tokyo) Curation & Exhibition

OTHER

・KUMA EXHIBITION 2022 Interview (2022/04/21) *Japanese only