Izumi Kato: Road to Somebody

This exhibition marks the largest solo show in Japan to date of works by Izumi Kato, a native of Yasugi, Shimane Prefecture. When Kato first began his career as a painter in the late 1990s, he developed an artistic language of human figures distinguished by their simple, elemental faces and bodies. In the 2000s, he expanded his practice to include wooden sculptures, and today, Kato continues to create works using a wide range of materials, including stone, fabric, soft vinyl, and plastic models. Featuring more than 200 works, from never-before-exhibited oil paintings dating from Kato’s high school days to his latest pieces, the exhibition provides viewers with a retrospective of the artist’s career as well as his ongoing creative endeavours. The show also introduces Kato’s diverse activities from a variety of perspectives, including installations, musical projects, and original products.