
Tomiyuki Kaneko
B. 1978 in Saitama,
and based in Yamagata, Japan
Tomiyuki Kaneko is a distinctive voice in contemporary nihonga (Japanese painting). From childhood, he was fascinated by local deities, yokai (supernatural spirits), and invisible beings in nature, driving his desire to express the spiritual world through nihonga. His works are unique within the field, as he delves into themes rarely explored by other nihonga artists, including yokai, specters, demons, and deities, influenced by both Japanese folklore and Buddhist and Hindu theology.
Living and working in Yamagata, Kaneko's art captures these spiritual entities with bold compositions that reflect his ongoing exploration of the unseen world. Notable exhibitions include Fed-up Tiger (2021) and Raging Gods (2017) at Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo, as well as Forest of Poetic Sentiments: Narrated Space (2017) at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre.
- /Education
- /Solo Exhibitions
- /Group Exhibitions
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Education
PHD, Tohoku University of Art & Design, Yamagata, Japan
MFA, Tohoku University of Art & Design, Yamagata, Japan
BFA, Tohoku University of Art & Design, Yamagata, Japan
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Solo Exhibitions
2022.
________'Bread and Circus Exhibition' (Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo), Japan2020.
________'Uninterrupted Wander' (Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo), Japan2019.
________ 'SERPENTI form Spirit Snake Legend' (Chengdu Museum, China), Japan2017.
________'Abusive Gods' Tomiyuki Kaneko Exhibition (Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo), Japan2016.
________Tales of Spirits, Shinto and Buddhism - Tomiyuki Kaneko Exhibition (Nihonbashi Takashimaya Art Gallery X, Tokyo), Japan2013.
________Yokai Kitan II - (Nihonbashi Takashimaya Art Gallery X, Tokyo), Japan2011.
________Yokai Kitan - Tomiyuki Kaneko Exhibition (Nihonbashi Takashimaya Art Gallery X, Tokyo), Japan
Yokai Materialization (Mizuma Action, Tokyo), Japan -
Group Exhibitions
2024.
________ 'Maitri 2.0' Art Mumbai 2024, (Galerie GEEK/ART), Japan________ 'Maitri' India Art Fair 2024, (Galerie GEEK/ART), Japan
2022.
________ 'Hanashinfu' (Takashimaya Nihonbashi store, Kyoto store, Yokohama store art gallery, Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohama), Japan________ 'Shuri Castle Reconstruction Charity Great Shisa Exhibition' (Hiltopia Art Square, Tokyo), Japan
________ 'SPIRIT of JAPAN Ukiyo-e Theater from Paris' (Kadokawa Musashino Museum, Saitama), Japan
________ Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Edition' (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Gallery A, Tokyo), Japan
________ 'Past and Present Yokai Mononoke Exhibition' (Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum, Yamagata), Japan
________ 'Fukushima Biennale 2022 Fugetsu Art Festival in Shirakawa-Sakai' (Ryukoji Temple, Sagawa Daruma Store, Fukushima), Japan
2021.
________ 'META' (Kanagawa Prefectural Hall Gallery, Kanagawa), Japan________ 'Art Fair Tokyo 2021' (Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo), Japan
________ Tomiyuki Kaneko Exhibition Tiger of Disgust' (Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo), Japan
2020.
________ 'SEVEN ARTISTS Exhibition' (Matsuzakaya Museum of Art, Nagoya), Japan________ 'Sukikei/NEW VIEW - Current state of contemporary art that continues in Japan' (Fukuoka, Osaka), Japan
________ 'Fukushima Biennale 2020 Wind and Moon Art Festival Prayer' (Josenji Temple, Ginza Shopping District, Fukushima), Japan
2019.
________ 'Taipei Dang dai art fair Solo exhibition format Solo' (Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Taipei), Japan
________ 'META - Wild Card of Japanese Painting' (Kanagawa Prefectural Hall, Kanagawa), Japan
________ A magical scene NEWVIEW' (Hankyu Umeda Main Store, Osaka), Japan
________ 'Takahashi Collection Exhibition Hometown of Art' (Tsuruoka Art Forum, Yamagata), Japan
2018.
________ 'Art Fair Tokyo 2018' (Tokyo International Forum Hall E, Tokyo), Japan________ 'Selected for the 7th Nikkei Japanese Painting Award Exhibition' (Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo), Japan
________ 'Yamagata Biennale' (Tohoku University of Art and Design, Kanisendo, Yamagata), Japan
2017.
________ 'Asian Gods Tomiyuki Kaneko Exhibition' (Izumo Taisha Shrine, Hitachi Province, Gallery Sakurabayashi, Ibaraki), Japan
________ 'SERPENTI form' (Art Science Museum, Singapore, Tokyo City View), Japan

Apotropaic Daruma 2, 2021
Transparent watercolour, pen, foil on Shirakawa Daruma
22 x 26.5 x 32 cm

Great Tiger: Pacifier of Fire and Wind, 2019
Mineral pigments, Japanese ink, transparent watercolour, acrylic, pen, foil on Japanese paper
194 x 486 cm

Gozu Tenno, 2022
Mineral pigments, Japanese ink, transparent watercolour, acrylic, pen, foil on Japanese paper
460 x 406 cm