What Matter Says curated by Akihiro Hasegawa
Dates | Saturday, October 24 – Saturday, November 21, 2026
Opening Reception | Saturday, October 24, 2026, 5–7pm
Venue | √K Contemporary (Root K Contemporary)
Hours | 1–7pm
Closed | Sundays and Mondays
Artists | Kazuto Imura, Yuan Fangzhou, Ryunosuke Okazaki, Takuto Kawabata, Ittetsu Tsuji, Akihiro Hasegawa
Curated by | Akihiro Hasegawa
Organized by | √K Contemporary
In cooperation with | AKIINOUE
√K Contemporary is pleased to present What Matter Says, a group exhibition curated by artist Akihiro Hasegawa, from Saturday, October 24 to Saturday, November 21, 2026.
The exhibition brings together Kazuto Imura, Yuan Fangzhou, Ryunosuke Okazaki, Takuto Kawabata, Ittetsu Tsuji and Akihiro Hasegawa, artists who work in entirely different mediums. Each artist engages closely with their chosen materials, drawing on their particular qualities to develop their own distinctive artistic practices. We invite you to discover how these different approaches resonate with one another.
■ About the Exhibition
The six artists in this exhibition each work with distinctive materials and methods, exploring the relationships that arise between objects and people, body and space, the visible and the invisible.
Material is not something passive that simply follows the artist’s intention. It cracks, bends light, yields to gravity, exceeds human strength and at times betrays the artist’s will, leading to unexpected expressions and meanings.
At the same time, their practices are not closed within matter itself. Through long dialogues with their materials, they weave in memory and prayer, time, the presence of others, narrative and the sacred.
This exhibition presents the practices of six artists who keep their hands moving as they travel back and forth between matter and spirit, work and space, meaning and what comes before meaning.
Akihiro Hasegawa
■ Gallery Comment
This exhibition marks the first curatorial project by artist Akihiro Hasegawa.
Hasegawa usually works within the confines of the two-dimensional surface. In this exhibition, he turns his attention to the space that extends beyond it and to the things that exist there.
Works on the wall and works on the floor, matter and matter, and the margins left between them. Together, these elements shape the balance of the exhibition space.
The title What Matter Says perhaps captures the artist’s unique perspective on the relationship between works and space. Rather than viewing space from the standpoint of the viewer, it invites us to consider it from the perspective of the things that occupy it.
In this exhibition, works by the artists who have captivated Hasegawa share a single space, each with its own material, form and way of being. What does each material have to say for itself?
We hope you will come and sense it for yourself.
Ichiko Kameyama
√K Contemporary
■ Events
Related events are planned during the exhibition. Details will be announced on this website and social media as they are confirmed.
IMAGES
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Kazuto Imura 《window-ordered from "opticalverse"》(2024) 62.5×48×10cm×3pc Acrylic mirror, glass mirror, LED
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Yuan Fangzhou《Aggregate II》(2025) 63×65×82cm Glass (reference work)
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Ryunosuke Okazaki 《Peace Flame》(2024) 300 x 700 x 220 cm Velour fabrics, Polyester Bone, ABS Plastic, Stainless (reference work)
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Takuto Kawabata 《P³emotion》(2026) 50×110×120cm Aluminum, acrylic, stainless steel
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Ittetsu Tsuji 《FORM L-07》(2025) 57×72×24 cm steel, aluminum, brass, LED, wax, pigments, acrylic (reference work)
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Akihiro Hasegawa 《Sutra-R》《Sutra-G》《Sutra-B》 (2025) 145 × 45 cm each Oil on acrylic panel and wooden panel (reference work)
ARTISTS
Born in Kyoto in 1990, Kazuto Imura graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts in 2015 and completed an MFA in Intermedia Art at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2017.
Only we ourselves know our inner selves, while our outward appearance is visible only to others. Mirror images and photographs are re-presentations of appearance, not appearance itself. Intrigued by the fact that no one can know both the inner self and the outward appearance from both sides, Imura makes work around the theme of showing others a mirror that contains the self. Working across materials and techniques such as optical instruments, mirrors that do not reflect, magic mirrors, obsidian and rotating liquid mirrors, he traces the changing relationship between people and mirrors, from modern science and industrial history to mythology and ritual. In recent years, under the theme “The Salvation of Narcissus,” he has been creating work on self-love and self-pollination.
Major exhibitions include the solo exhibition commission work (Kanda & Oliveira, Chiba, 2024), Touching the Bottom: Contemporary Art in Seto, a regional program of the Aichi Triennale (Seto Ceramics and Glass Art Center, Aichi, 2024), and the MATSUMOTO Architecture + Art Festival (Matsumoto, Nagano, 2022 and 2023).
Born in Kyoto in 1990, Kazuto Imura graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts in 2015 and completed an MFA in Intermedia Art at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2017.
Only we ourselves know our inner selves, while our outward appearance is visible only to others. Mirror images and photographs are re-presentations of appearance, not appearance itself. Intrigued by the fact that no one can know both the inner self and the outward appearance from both sides, Imura makes work around the theme of showing others a mirror that contains the self. Working across materials and techniques such as optical instruments, mirrors that do not reflect, magic mirrors, obsidian and rotating liquid mirrors, he traces the changing relationship between people and mirrors, from modern science and industrial history to mythology and ritual. In recent years, under the theme “The Salvation of Narcissus,” he has been creating work on self-love and self-pollination.
Major exhibitions include the solo exhibition commission work (Kanda & Oliveira, Chiba, 2024), Touching the Bottom: Contemporary Art in Seto, a regional program of the Aichi Triennale (Seto Ceramics and Glass Art Center, Aichi, 2024), and the MATSUMOTO Architecture + Art Festival (Matsumoto, Nagano, 2022 and 2023).
Born in 1995 in Liaoning Province, China, Yuan Fangzhou lives and works in Ibaraki, Japan. He received his BFA in glass from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University in 2018, and a PhD in Fine Arts from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2024. Working primarily in glass, Yuan explores the relationships among people, objects and nature. His work draws on post-minimalism and Eastern philosophy, including Buddhism. He treats the unpredictable forms that emerge during kiln firing as expressions of the material’s own “consciousness.” Selected solo exhibitions include The boundary of black (kuma gallery, 2023), Intermediary compound (Tokyo International Gallery, 2021) and HETEROTOPIA (Blank gallery, 2024). He was selected for the 24th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art and the 30th UBE Biennale (Contemporary Japanese Sculpture Exhibition).
Born in 1995 in Liaoning Province, China, Yuan Fangzhou lives and works in Ibaraki, Japan. He received his BFA in glass from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University in 2018, and a PhD in Fine Arts from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2024. Working primarily in glass, Yuan explores the relationships among people, objects and nature. His work draws on post-minimalism and Eastern philosophy, including Buddhism. He treats the unpredictable forms that emerge during kiln firing as expressions of the material’s own “consciousness.” Selected solo exhibitions include The boundary of black (kuma gallery, 2023), Intermediary compound (Tokyo International Gallery, 2021) and HETEROTOPIA (Blank gallery, 2024). He was selected for the 24th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art and the 30th UBE Biennale (Contemporary Japanese Sculpture Exhibition).
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1995, Ryunosuke Okazaki completed an MFA in Design at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2021. Based in Tokyo, he presents fabric-based sculptures internationally, exploring the boundaries between humanity and nature and the cycles of life. In 2024, his work appeared in Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2025, JOMONJOMON was exhibited and acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum, and he participated in Rich Veins of Japanese Art: In Search of Future National Treasures! at Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka. Moving beyond established disciplines and frameworks, his practice explores new possibilities for art today.
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1995, Ryunosuke Okazaki completed an MFA in Design at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2021. Based in Tokyo, he presents fabric-based sculptures internationally, exploring the boundaries between humanity and nature and the cycles of life. In 2024, his work appeared in Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2025, JOMONJOMON was exhibited and acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum, and he participated in Rich Veins of Japanese Art: In Search of Future National Treasures! at Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka. Moving beyond established disciplines and frameworks, his practice explores new possibilities for art today.
Born in Kazo, Saitama in 2001, Takuto Kawabata received his BFA from the Metal Program of the Department of Crafts at Tama Art University in 2024 and completed an MFA in Metal Hammering at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2026. Just as samurai displayed dignity and authority by donning armor, personal ornaments have long served as a medium of information that goes beyond decoration. Focusing on this role, Kawabata creates ornaments that make visible the emotions their wearers cannot put into words, exploring new possibilities for communication. Taking as his motif the horn of a brass instrument, where the player’s breath and emotion are amplified, he made P³emotion, a series of ornaments that visualize communication difficulties tied to the eye, the ear and the mouth. His awards include the Contemporary Crafts Prize at the Japan Contemporary Art and Crafts Exhibition (2024), and the Ataka Prize (2025) and Purchase Prize (2026) at Tokyo University of the Arts, where his work is held in the collection.
Born in Kazo, Saitama in 2001, Takuto Kawabata received his BFA from the Metal Program of the Department of Crafts at Tama Art University in 2024 and completed an MFA in Metal Hammering at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2026. Just as samurai displayed dignity and authority by donning armor, personal ornaments have long served as a medium of information that goes beyond decoration. Focusing on this role, Kawabata creates ornaments that make visible the emotions their wearers cannot put into words, exploring new possibilities for communication. Taking as his motif the horn of a brass instrument, where the player’s breath and emotion are amplified, he made P³emotion, a series of ornaments that visualize communication difficulties tied to the eye, the ear and the mouth. His awards include the Contemporary Crafts Prize at the Japan Contemporary Art and Crafts Exhibition (2024), and the Ataka Prize (2025) and Purchase Prize (2026) at Tokyo University of the Arts, where his work is held in the collection.
Born in Tokyo in 2001, Ittetsu Tsuji graduated from the Department of Design, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts in 2026, and is currently enrolled in the Design program at the university’s Graduate School of Fine Arts. Starting from an interest in the composition and structure shared by furniture, tools and architecture, Tsuji creates works that explore the relationship between objects, the body and space. Using craft techniques, he engages in a dialogue with materials, feeling their texture and weight, and searches for the raw sensations held within them. Moving back and forth between handwork and machine work in a process that strongly reflects bodily sensation and improvisation, Tsuji assembles numerous pieces into a single form. Selected exhibitions include In the pocket (biscuit gallery, Tokyo, 2025) and KUMA experiment 2023-24 (Kuma Foundation Gallery, Tokyo, 2023). He received the Grand Prix of the COMITÉ COLBERT AWARD 2022 and is a Kuma Foundation Creator Scholarship recipient (7th generation).
Born in Tokyo in 2001, Ittetsu Tsuji graduated from the Department of Design, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts in 2026, and is currently enrolled in the Design program at the university’s Graduate School of Fine Arts. Starting from an interest in the composition and structure shared by furniture, tools and architecture, Tsuji creates works that explore the relationship between objects, the body and space. Using craft techniques, he engages in a dialogue with materials, feeling their texture and weight, and searches for the raw sensations held within them. Moving back and forth between handwork and machine work in a process that strongly reflects bodily sensation and improvisation, Tsuji assembles numerous pieces into a single form. Selected exhibitions include In the pocket (biscuit gallery, Tokyo, 2025) and KUMA experiment 2023-24 (Kuma Foundation Gallery, Tokyo, 2023). He received the Grand Prix of the COMITÉ COLBERT AWARD 2022 and is a Kuma Foundation Creator Scholarship recipient (7th generation).
Born in Mie Prefecture in 1997, Akihiro Hasegawa is a contemporary artist based in Tokyo. Born into a Tendai Buddhist temple family, he was ordained in 2009 and in 2019 completed the Shidokegyo (Four Preliminary Practices) at Saikyo-ji Temple of the Tendai Shinsei sect. He completed an MFA in Design at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2024. Taking an overarching view of emotion, thought, the body and life itself, his works reveal a stance rooted in Buddhist thought and question views of life and death and the nature of human existence. Light, which has fascinated him visually and philosophically since childhood, lies at the core of his practice. A Kuma Foundation Creator Scholarship recipient (5th generation), he held his first solo exhibition, Yomogi & COMP, at √K Contemporary in 2022. In 2024 he presented a major solo exhibition at √K Contemporary and Immeasurable Lights (Nanjo Selection vol.6) at N&A Art SITE, Tokyo. He has taken part in numerous exhibitions, including VOCA 2025 (The Ueno Royal Museum), THE ART OF COLOUR by Chaumet (2025) and FUJI TEXTILE WEEK 2025. (Profile photo: Ryu Hatakeyama)
Born in Mie Prefecture in 1997, Akihiro Hasegawa is a contemporary artist based in Tokyo. Born into a Tendai Buddhist temple family, he was ordained in 2009 and in 2019 completed the Shidokegyo (Four Preliminary Practices) at Saikyo-ji Temple of the Tendai Shinsei sect. He completed an MFA in Design at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2024. Taking an overarching view of emotion, thought, the body and life itself, his works reveal a stance rooted in Buddhist thought and question views of life and death and the nature of human existence. Light, which has fascinated him visually and philosophically since childhood, lies at the core of his practice. A Kuma Foundation Creator Scholarship recipient (5th generation), he held his first solo exhibition, Yomogi & COMP, at √K Contemporary in 2022. In 2024 he presented a major solo exhibition at √K Contemporary and Immeasurable Lights (Nanjo Selection vol.6) at N&A Art SITE, Tokyo. He has taken part in numerous exhibitions, including VOCA 2025 (The Ueno Royal Museum), THE ART OF COLOUR by Chaumet (2025) and FUJI TEXTILE WEEK 2025. (Profile photo: Ryu Hatakeyama)
