Hiraki Sawa made his debut with the East International Award, which is highly regarded as a gateway to success for young artists, with his work, "dwelling" (2002). The work displayed numerous model airplanes flying around in the room, while monochrome screen images projected unusual events and perspectives of reality. In "spotter", tiny people observed airplanes chasing their own shadows while assembling a range of cooking materials in the kitchen. Also in "migration", people, horses, camels, and birds conducted a silent parade in the empty house.
Later, Sawa created two-channel video works that operated simultaneously, such as "murmuring" and "out of the blue". He further developed his works to three-channel video works, like "going places sitting down", so that the artworks came to encompass the gallery entirely.
Recently, Sawa attempted to exhibit the room built for his work, "silk", and the projected image in a parallel line. The room made for the artwork was absorbed, and it became a metaphor which suggested that the video itself was a kind of 'micro-room'. Likewise in 2009, he exhibited a video artwork titled "O" which was located in a large space with a composition of three big screens, ten monitors, and five rotating speakers. The screen images faced the real room, and it was a sort of tentative attempt to embed the screen image into a structure.
Sawa's recent works explore the possibilities and effects of screen images located in real-life exhibition spaces.
Born in Ishikawa, Japan in 1977, Hiraki Sawa is currently based in London. In 2000, he completed M.F.A. of University of East London and in 2003 MFA Sculpture program at the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London. Recent exhibitions include "Latent image revealed" KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre, Japan (2018), "Sapporo International Art Festival" Sapporo, Japan (2017), "Under the Box, Beyond the Bounds" Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2014), "Lenticular" Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Scotland (2013), "12e Biennale de Lyon: Entre-temps... brusquement, et ensuite" Lyon, France (2013), "Lineament" Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2012), "Chengdu Biennale: Pure Views" East Chengdu Music Park, Chengdu, China (2011), "The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age" Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (2010).
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Hiraki Sawaairliner, 2003single channel video (black + white)3' 00'' loopEdition of 5 plus 3 AP
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Hiraki Sawaelsewhere, 2003single channel video (black + white, silent)7' 40''Edition of 8 plus 3 artist's proofs
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Hiraki Sawadwelling, 2002single channel video (black + white)9' 20''Edition of 8 plus 3 artist's proofs
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Standing in the Shadow
Cheng Ran, Li Ran and Hiraki Sawa 9 May - 22 Jun 2014 SingaporeOta Fine Arts is pleased to present 'Standing in the Shadow', a group exhibition featuring a selection of video works by three remarkable young Asian artists: Cheng Ran, Li Ran...Read more -
HIRAKI SAWA
Hiraki Sawa 12 Feb - 26 Apr 2014 TokyoOta Fine Arts is pleased to hold the exhibition of Hiraki Sawa, linking to his current solo exhibition at Tokyo Opera City Gallery. Hiraki Sawa was born in Kanazawa in...Read more -
Beyond the Surface
Yayoi Kusama, Monir Farmanfarmaian, Masayasu Mitsuke, Yeesookyung, and Hiraki Sawa 27 Jul - 25 Aug 2013 SingaporeOta Fine Arts is delighted to announce 'Beyond the Surface', a group exhibition featuring works by Yayoi Kusama, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Masayasu Mitsuke, Yeesookyung and Hiraki Sawa. The pieces selected...Read more -
Standing in the Shadow
Li Ran, Cheng Ran, Hiraki Sawa 10 Jul - 3 Aug 2013 TokyoOta Fine Arts is delighted to present the exhibition 'Standing in the Shadow'. The exhibition features impressive video works by three contemporary Asian young artists, Li Ran, Cheng Ran and...Read more -
Hiraki Sawa "Postscript"
10 Apr - 26 May 2012 Tokyo -
Melancholia
Albrecht Dürer, Hiraki Sawa, Louis Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama, Naoya Inose 25 Oct - 19 Nov 2011 Tokyo -
screening Hiraki Sawa / Takao Minami
Hiraki Sawa, Takao Minami 21 Oct - 14 Nov 2009 Tokyo -
Animal Garden
Hiraki Sawa, Tsuyoshi Ozawa, Nobuaki Takekawa, Yayoi Kusama, Tiger Tateishi, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Nagasawa Rosetsu, Maruyama oukyo 14 Oct - 15 Nov 2008 TokyoHistorically, domestic animals and pets, even wild animals were part of our daily lives. Sometimes as beings to be feared of, and other times as a symbol of power, or...Read more -
New Acquisition
Masayasu Mitsuke, Nobuaki Takekawa, Hiraki Sawa, Yuken Teruya, Yayoi Kusama, Tsuyoshi Ozawa, Tigar Tateishi, Michiro Tokushige, Yuichi Higashionna, I-Chen Kuo 11 Jul - 26 Aug 2006 Tokyo -
Hiraki Sawa
Hiraki Sawa 28 Oct - 26 Nov 2005 Tokyo -
Land
Robert Smithson, Dennis Oppenheim, Hiraki Sawa, Nobuaki Takekawa, Tsuyoshi Ozawa 22 Feb - 26 Mar 2005 Tokyo -
Gallery Collection B
Yayoi Kusama, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Hiraki Sawa, Tomomi Maekawa 6 Apr - 1 May 2004 Tokyo -
Hiraki Sawa
Hiraki Sawa 3 Oct - 1 Nov 2003 Tokyo
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Hiraki Sawa
"SAWAHIRAKI × ARTRO" ARTRO, Kyoto, Japan 6 Jun 2022Hiraki Sawa holds solo exhibition 'Hiraki Sawa x ARTRO' at ARTRO, Kyoto, from 7th June 2022 to 5th July 2022. Title: SAWAHIRAKI × ARTRO Exhibition...Read more -
Hiraki Sawa
"I love Art 16 VISION", WATARI-UM, Tokyo, Japan 21 Jan 2022Hiraki Sawa participates in 'I love Art 16 VISION' WATARI-UM, Tokyo, Japan from 22th January to 15th May 2022. Title: I love Art 16 VISION...Read more -
Hiraki Sawa
"Kanazawa 21st Century Kogei Festival" Kanazawa, Japan 24 Nov 2021Hiraki Sawa participates in 'Kanazawa 21st Century Kogei Festival ' Kanazawa, Japan from 26th to 28th November 2021. Title: Kanazawa 21st Century Kogei Festival Exhibition...Read more -
Hiraki Sawa
Artist Talk "Until now and from now on, What changes and what doesn't changes, One day near future", A-Lab, Hyogo, Japan 20 Nov 2021Hiraki Sawa will participate in an Artist Talk 'Until now and from now on, What changes and what doesn't changes, One day near future' at...Read more