Akihiro Hasegawa (長谷川 彰宏)

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

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　　Akihiro Hasegawa Solo Exhibition, Yomogi & COMP, √K Contemporary (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)

 

［Awards & Grants］
2017　　Geidai Art in Marunouchi GAM Award Winner
2021　　Kuma Foundation 5^th 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

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