Onishi Gallery is proud to present artist and sculptor Shikama Koziro in his first American solo show, The Sound of White Marble. With his signature use of aperture areas and openness in his work, Shikama uses rectangular, circular, and semi-circular shapes together to transform his sculpture into a living form.
Shigenobu Kimura, art critic and Emeritus Professor of Osaka University, writes of Shikama’s work:
There is great subtlety in Shikama’s sculptures, where together both dimensions [the ‘reflection’ and the solid form on the ‘black’ and ‘white’] work to generate a free use of space and so create something ‘greater than the sum of its parts… Shikama’s work shouldn’t be seen as inorganic, but rather full of life. I would choose to describe Shikama’s sculpture creations as being ‘biomorphic’, because of the ‘spirit he breathes’ into them.
Koziro Shikama — Symbol of Existence, 2010, marble, H 12.6 x W 15.7 x D 3.9 in.
Mayor of Himeji City, Toshikatsu Iwami, also says of Shikama:
He is a well-known Japanese artist and shows regularly all over Japan. Mr. Shikama frequently shows his work in foreign countries and has garnered immense praise. Though his style is modern, his sculptures are often inspired by Japanese traditional rock gardens, stone lanterns or Shinto shrine archways.
Shikama was born in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture in 1941. After graduating from Kanazawa College of Art in 1964, he has sustained a 50 year career worldwide through exhibitions in Japan, Spain, Mexico, and now the United States.