Kineta Kunimatsu: Breathing in Ripples

The Towada Art Center is pleased to present Breathing in Ripples, the first solo museum exhibition by Hokkaido-based sculptor Kineta Kunimatsu, from Saturday, December 13, 2025, to Sunday, May 10, 2026.

Since the early 2000s, Kunimatsu has been based at the Tobiu Art Community, which is housed in a former elementary school in Tobiu, inland from the town of Shiraoi in south-central Hokkaido. Inspired by trees and their unique shapes formed over many years in the rugged northern landscape, Kunimatsu creates sculptures, paintings, and installations that explore the contours and boundaries found in nature, including horizons, shorelines, mountains, and caves. His process involves carving and burning into the surfaces and interiors of wood, and engaging directly with minerals, snow, and other natural materials, resulting in works that embody a singular, fleeting dialogue between artist and nature. At the Tobiu Art Community, Kunimatsu has also organized the annual Tobiu Art Festival since 2009, all while working to preserve the forest that surrounds the site. (This year’s festival will be held from Saturday, September 6, to Sunday, September 14.) Since the mid-2010s, he has also conducted field research under the name Ayoro Laboratory while exploring the nearby Ayoro region.

This exhibition offers a rare opportunity not only to encounter Kunimatsu’s most iconic works, but also to experience new creations born from his dialogue with the natural environment of Towada, presented here for the first time. It also highlights the breadth of his practice, from his involvement in the Tobiu Art Community and Ayoro Laboratory to the artistic lineage he shares with his father, sculptor Asuka Kunimatsu, and grandfather, painter Noboru Kunimatsu. Through this exhibition, visitors are invited to experience the breath of the works, the breath of Kunimatsu, the breath of the land, and the creative vitality that continues to ripple across time and space.