Rising Land

Sculptor Hidenori Oi will be visiting from Japan with a selection of his small stone sculptures and lithographs. While there is an implicit precariousness in his work, Oi aims to create stability within this instability, the components of his sculpture exerting equal force upon each other.
From a very young age, Oi was drawn to creating three dimensional objects versus drawing or painting. Born in Yamaguchi, Japan, a town known for the creation of Hagiyaki pottery going back fifteen generations, Oi’s initial artistic endeavors were in ceramics. His interests gradually shifted to carved stone sculpture. Stone fascinates Oi in that it is the first tool used by mankind. In particular Oi favors red travertine from Iran because it’s so representative of the land. His sculpture intends to represent the solidity of earth itself.
Oi first came to the US as a sculptor’s assistant for Mr Yonekishi Tanaka exhibiting in Dallas. He fell in love with the vast land of the US and returned in 2007 to create work at an artist residency at SMU. This is his first exhibition in the US.
Hidenori Oi resides in Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Recent exhibitions include: Rising Land – Hideo Oi Sculpture and Print Exhibition at Special Gallery, Hakone Yamoto Hotel, Japan (2018); 1st Mind Tree School International Sculpture Symposium, Mind Tree School, India (2018); The 3rd ITM University International Sculpture Symposium, ITM University, India (2017); Guild Gallery, Tokyo (2016); Solo exhibition at Galerie Malle, Tokyo (2015); Este-Oeste at Gallery Ra del Rey, Madrid, Spain (2013).