Susumu Shingu

Susumu Shingū is a kinetic sculptor from Japan. His nature-inspired works are constructed of highly engineered materials, commonly steel and Teflon.

Susumu Shingū
Born (1937-07-13) July 13, 1937
Osaka, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Known forSculpture
Notable work
Gift of the Wind
MovementKinetic art, Abstract art

Biography
Kinetic Fountain, Susumu Shingu

Early Years

Susumu Shingu, was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1937. He matriculated at the University of Fine Arts in Tokyo in 1956, with a concentration in oil painting. A bursary from the Italian government followed, allowing him to travel to Italy where his intention was to study figurative painting.[1] He attended the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma from 1960 to 1962. By his own account, Shingu's interest in sculpture developed as his interest in abstraction was expanding. He hung a painting outside to record it photographically: the wind interfered. He became fascinated by the potential for three-dimensional movement. "The work that followed relied on natural forces to make it move or make sound, and he began using more sophisticated materials for outdoor works,"[2] as traditional art materials were either too heavy to supply graceful natural movement or too quickly degraded under outdoor conditions.

Osaka Ship Building Company

Still in Italy, a chance meeting with Kageki Minami, the president of Osaka Ship Building Company, led to Shingu's return to Japan, where Minami allowed him a studio in his shipyard and access to the talents of company engineers. With this support, Shingu produced “Path of Wind,” a 20-meter-tall sculpture that was his first large-scale commissioned piece.[3] He began to produce work incorporating elements from his study of the Japanese folk arts: wind chimes and traditional carp banners.[4]

Expo '70 in Tokyo was a major event on the arts scene in Japan. Shingu was one of eight Japanese sculptors chosen to represent the nation. The organizers commissioned a large piece from Shingu for the central plaza.[5]

He spent a year at Harvard University as a Visiting Artist at Harvard's Carpenter Center for the Visual and Environmental Studies, 1971 to 1972.[6]

Traveling Exhibitions

Shingu, a prolific artist, has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions internationally. Additionally, he has collaborated in theatre projects (including variations on tradition Japanese Nô performance[7]) and published a number of children's books. His work has been honored with many awards, including the Outdoor Sculpture Prize of Nagano City and the Japan Grand Prix of Art.[6]

Wind Museum

The 3,000-sq.-meter Susumu Shingu Wind Museum is an open-air sculpture garden in Sanda, Japan, established in 2012.

Exhibitions & Traveling Shows

Quotations

"My works are ways of translating the messages of nature into visible movements"[1]

References
  1. "Susumu Shingu: An Ode to Nature". Pen Magazine International. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  2. "Susumu Shingu — Portfolio". Slash Paris. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  3. Yamada, Mio (2014-10-02). "Susumu Shingu knows which way the wind blows". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  4. "TimesMachine: Sculptures That Frolic in the Wind - NYTimes.com". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  5. Shingu, Susumu (1997). Shingu: Message From Nature. Abbeville Press. ISBN 0789203804.
  6. Radar, Art. "Ad (In)Finitum: Japanese artist Susumu Shingu's "Spaceship" at MUDAM Luxembourg | Art Radar". Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  7. Benoit, Guillaume (2018). "Susumu Shingu — Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger — Critique". slash-paris.com. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  8. "Susumu Shingu — Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger — Critique". slash-paris.com. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
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