NEW YORK, NY – Ippodo Gallery New York is pleased to announce the inaugural
exhibition of our newly reopened galleries with Samsara: Sculptures by Sho Kishino.
This show of over forty works, the artist’s second solo exhibition in the United
States, will be on view from September 10 to October 8, 2020, by appointment only.
Sho Kishino (b. 1972) was raised in Kyoto, and many of the themes of his works reflect the
city’s role as Japan’s cultural capital and center of traditional arts, deep history with Zen
Buddhism, and connection to surrounding nature. Kishino’s study of Zen and engagement with
Buddhist practitioners and monks, as well as the temples and shrines that have formed the
backdrop of life in Kyoto for centuries, have influenced every facet of his art. His use of
natural and reclaimed materials, from river stones to bog-wood to timbers from old temples,
yokes the natural world to the subtle, subtractive aesthetic of his sculptures.
Kishino has cited the work of the Swiss artist and sculptor Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) as
a significant influence on his style and practice. Giacometti strove to recreate his impression of
his subjects, and believed that by blurring the borders of his sculptures he could evoke his
subject’s natural essence. Studying Giacometti’s works, Kishino concluded that sculpture
should not be solely concerned with form. Rather, Kishino places greater importance on the
dynamic between the object’s internal and external space. He uses light and shadows, empty
space and subtle interventions to create expressions, meanings, and relationships between time
and nature that extend beyond the strictly physical forms of the works.

This exhibition is titled Samsara: Sculptures by Sho Kishino. Through these pieces, the artist explores themes of creation, renewal, and
spiritual awakening. In Buddhism, samsara indicates the beginningless cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. It is upon realizing this
fundamental reality that Buddhists may free themselves from the chain of rebirth and become awakened spiritual beings. Kishino has
described his creative process as a search for the light of the Buddha’s teachings, a light that can help heal unease in the world.
Together with Ippodo Gallery, Kishino presents these meditative works as a prayer, an offer of salvation to overcome these challenging times.

Image:
Sho Kishino
Samsara: Sculptures by Sho Kishino
Courtesy of Ippodo Gallery