Susumu Shingu

1937

Susumu Shingu graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1960 and studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome between 1960 and 1962. He is a painter, sculptor, researcher and philosopher of nature, who gradually turned to sculpture and movement. Today he is considered one of the most important artists of the Japanese contemporary scene and his monumental sculptures, animated by natural elements such as water and wind, have been installed all over the world during the last 40 years.

The Caravan of the Wind, created in 2000, took 21 sculptures to 6 places on the planet, chosen by the artist for their extreme climates, their emblematic winds, and their populations, living as close as possible to the natural elements, whose daily life he shared during the different stages of this Caravan: the rice fields of Sanda in Japan (June 2000), the uninhabited island of Motukorea in New Zealand (Nov. 2000), the icy lake of Inari in Finland (Feb. 2001), the rocky desert of Tamdaght in Morocco (April 2001), the green steppe of Undur Dov in Mongolia (June 2001) and the dunes of Cumbuco in Brazil (Nov. 2001).

Inaugurated on 21 June 2014 in Sanda, near Osaka in Japan, by the Governor of Hyogo Prefecture and many personalities including the architect Tadao Ando, his Wind Museum is an open-air museum in the heart of a vast natural space, where twelve sculptures come to life with the slightest breath, at the whim of the water and the wind, revealing the immaterial presence of air, this “atmospheric” material sculpted by the artist, underlining his sensitive relationship to the world and an acute ecological awareness. Susumu Shingu’s art is also expressed through his theatrical works, initiated in the 1990s and presented in this Wind Museum, according to the seasons. He writes the dialogues, designs the staging and costumes; the artist has also created some fifteen books and pop-ups for children, giving them the opportunity to see, feel and touch the beauty, grace and strength of nature.

A sculptor of wind, water and gravity, Susumu Shingu borrows from the high technologies and talents of his time to create works in harmony with the secret rhythms of the planet. His work is thus nourished by frequent collaborations with renowned designers such as Issey Miyake, Jiři Kylián, Tadao Ando, Renzo Piano with whom a real creative complicity has been born over time; in 2016, three sculptures by the artist were installed at the Cultural Centre of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in Athens, designed by Renzo Piano. In October 2021, the architect inaugurated one of his latest projects in the Soho district of New York, with a new sculpture by Susumu Shingu, Rainbow Leaves, overlooking the Manhattan skyline…

A first exhibition Sculptures of Respir was devoted to him at the gallery in 2006, followed by Planet of Wind and Water in 2009, and Beyond Time in 2012. The same year, during the Hors les murs FIAC, the gallery presented the installation Sinfonettia of Light in the large octagonal basin of the Tuileries Gardens. The artist’s last solo exhibition at the gallery in 2018, Cosmos, was conceived as an echo of his exhibition Spaceship, at the same time at Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc. The Museum honoured the world-renowned artist through an exhibition never before seen in Europe, presenting some fifteen works including La Caravane du vent.

On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death in 2019, the Domaine National de Chambord, on the initiative of the gallery, devoted a major solo exhibition to the artist, Susumu Shingu, a utopia of today. The ecological dimension inherent in his work found a perfect echo in a domain so fully dedicated to nature; Susumu Shingu’s major work was also presented: Atelier Earth, the creation of a utopian village living from the natural energies of wind, water and sun. An artistic and cultural centre, this village, partly dedicated to children, would allow them to discover art through their five senses. In 2024, this dream project, which the artist has been supporting for years, should be inaugurated in Arimafuji Park, which already houses the Susumu Shingu WIND MUSEUM.

From July 13 to September 14, 2023, Susumu Shingu and Renzo Piano were invited to present an exhibition together at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka; this exhibition, entitled Parallel Lives, celebrated the collaboration and friendship of the two creators, both born in the same year.

Susumu Shingu on 13 July 1937, Renzo Piano on 14 September 1937.

From May 19 to November 1, 2023, the Villa Datris Foundation presented a work by Susumu Shingu in the group exhibition Movement and Light at L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.

From 2 March to 13 July 2024, the gallery dedicated a solo exhibition to Susumu Shingu entitled, The Breath of Here – The Water Beyond [Le Souffle d’Ici – L’Eau de là], the third and final part of the ENCHAN-TEMPS cycle.

In parallel with the exhibition, OGATA Paris welcomed an exceptional selection by the artist in partnership with the Gallery until June 30, 2024.

From October 12, 2024 to February 17, 2025, the Fubon Art Museum in Taipei has devoted an exhibition to the artist entitled “COSMOS – Susumu Shingu – Wind Traveler”. In collaboration with the artist and the gallery, La Source Garouste is developing the Genki-nobori project as part of its 2025–2026 cross-site program: between February and May 2026, at the network’s 10 local branches, around 100 children will design 100 Genki-nobori. Susumu Shingu created the Genki-nobori art project following the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. These Genki-nobori reinterpret traditional Japanese carp-shaped wind chimes, on which children’s words and drawings carry wishes and prayers in the wind in memory of the victims. Responding to Shingu’s call—whose current priority is to work with children around the world—more than 500 people, from Japan and abroad, took part in this collective project. The artist continues to organize these workshops in Japan and internationally.

I would like to create a place where we can think about the future of the Earth, with links to artists and educational institutions around the world.

Susumu Shingu.

www.susumushingu.com