Collection: Masaru Kawai
Masaru Kawai
A woodworker from Gifu. He draws upon the grain and characteristics of rare woods such as Jindai-sugi and Yakusugi millimeter by millimeter to make them beautiful and comfortable to the hand.
His delicate and deliberate techniques are characterized by his ability to enhance the sacred aspects of the wood.
His delicate and deliberate techniques are characterized by his ability to enhance the sacred aspects of the wood.
1979: Born in Gifu
2001: Graduated from Kyoto Seika University, majoring in architecture.
Trained as a woodworker in Hida and as a furniture craftsman in Kyoto.
2007: Went independent. Since then, he has regularly held solo and group exhibitions in various locations.
2016: Established "SOMA" to connect forests and people.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023: San galerie (Taipei), Curator's cube (Tokyo), Kyoto Yamahon (Kyoto)
2022: 921 gallery (Okayama), GALLERY crossing (Gifu), Hibi (Tokyo), Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (Sweden)
2021: gallery Shirata (Kyotanba, Japan), Shibuya Kuroda Toen (Tokyo), Kyoto Yamamoto (Kyoto)
2020: Kogei Seika (Tokyo), Anthologie gallery (Paris), Analogue Life (Nagoya), Hibi (Tokyo), Chaiki-no-Ro (Shanghai)
2019: "SOMA Japanese Forest and Wooden Furniture" Exhibition (Takenaka Carpenter's Workshop), Kyoto Yamahon, Cosmic Wonder (Tokyo), Kohodo (Gifu)
2001: Graduated from Kyoto Seika University, majoring in architecture.
Trained as a woodworker in Hida and as a furniture craftsman in Kyoto.
2007: Went independent. Since then, he has regularly held solo and group exhibitions in various locations.
2016: Established "SOMA" to connect forests and people.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023: San galerie (Taipei), Curator's cube (Tokyo), Kyoto Yamahon (Kyoto)
2022: 921 gallery (Okayama), GALLERY crossing (Gifu), Hibi (Tokyo), Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (Sweden)
2021: gallery Shirata (Kyotanba, Japan), Shibuya Kuroda Toen (Tokyo), Kyoto Yamamoto (Kyoto)
2020: Kogei Seika (Tokyo), Anthologie gallery (Paris), Analogue Life (Nagoya), Hibi (Tokyo), Chaiki-no-Ro (Shanghai)
2019: "SOMA Japanese Forest and Wooden Furniture" Exhibition (Takenaka Carpenter's Workshop), Kyoto Yamahon, Cosmic Wonder (Tokyo), Kohodo (Gifu)
