Kenshiro Kihara Solo Exhibition “Wings”

ARTDYNE is pleased to present Wings, the second solo exhibition by Kenshiro Kihara, returning after two years. This exhibition will feature Kihara’s newly developed still life series Living Figure, a compelling body of work that explores the intersection of life and death, fiction and reality.

The idea for Living Figure first emerged when Kihara was repainting figurines for his artistic practice and happened to glance at a cactus on his desk. “Could a painted cactus become a ‘living figure’?”—this question sparked the beginning of the series.

The motifs in this body of work—plants, insects, fragments of flesh—are destined to decay, yet their painted surfaces preserve their forms, as if holding onto the traces of life. Through this process, Kihara highlights the tension and dissonance between fiction (the figurine) and reality (the living being), revealing their delicate coexistence.

For Kihara, painting is not simply a process of reproducing what lies before him. While his works exhibit a highly refined realism, they always leave viewers with a subtle yet profound sense of disquiet, prompting them to ask: “What exactly am I looking at?” His remarkable technical skill is not merely decorative but is deeply tied to the conceptual core of his practice. The hyper-realistic rendering of painted objects paradoxically evokes a deeper question: What is reality?

In doing so, these still lifes transcend visual accuracy, confronting us with notions of time, materiality, and the very essence of existence.

Wings presents a quiet yet powerful investigation into the relationship between fiction and reality—an enduring theme in Kihara’s work. Through his painted worlds, he visualizes the fragility and ambiguity of what we call “reality,” shaped by constructed images and staged presences. We invite you to witness this profound exploration into the origins of being and perception.

Artist Statement
While repainting figurines for my usual work, my gaze happened to fall on a cactus sitting on my desk. I found myself wondering: could a painted cactus become a “living figure”? Acting on this thought, I casually painted the cactus, pot and all. This spontaneous act marked the beginning of the Living Figure series.

These works are still life paintings of various painted objects—plants, insects, meat—through which I attempt to present the gravity of existence in the guise of something hollow and superficial, like a figurine.

Though the motifs are fated to decay, the painted surfaces trace their contours, preserving their forms as vestiges of life. It felt to me as though life and death were pressed back-to-back, separated only by the thin membrane of paint.

Fiction and reality, life and death—two sides of the same coin. I believe that through painting, I can give shape to these unseen forces and bring them into the realm of imagination.

—Kenshiro Kihara

Biography

木原 健志郎｜Kenshiro Kihara

Born in 1997, Hyogo, Japan

Education

2022

M.F.A., Department of Fine Arts, Graduate School of Art, Onomichi City University

Solo Exhibition

2023

“Hero” (ARTDYNE, Tokyo)

Selected Group Exhibitions

2025

The 28th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art Exhibition (Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki, Kanagawa)

2024

“Dimensional Fantasia” (GR Gallery, New York)
“face to face Vol. IV” (Bunkamura Gallery 8/, Tokyo)

2023

Koshiro Kihara & Kenshiro Kihara Two-Person Exhibition (Hankyu Men’s Osaka, Osaka)

2022

“Hajimareri” (ARTDYNE, Tokyo)
AaP 2022 (Lloydworks Gallery, Tokyo)
“Figure and Ground” – Koshiro Kihara & Kenshiro Kihara Two-Person Exhibition (Artglorieux, Tokyo)
“Stranger” – Koshiro Kihara & Kenshiro Kihara Two-Person Exhibition (Lloydworks Gallery, Tokyo)
“Break Zenya Exhibition 2022” (Artglorieux, Tokyo)
One FACE 2022 (Lloydworks Gallery, Tokyo)
“Nijigen-ha” Exhibition (Daikanyama Hillside Forum / N&A Art SITE, Tokyo)

2021

“Infinity Mirror” – Koshiro Kihara & Kenshiro Kihara Two-Person Exhibition (Gallery A8T, Sendai)

Awards

2025

Finalist, 28th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art (Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki)

2021

Finalist, FACE 2021 (SOMPO Museum of Art, Tokyo)
muni Art Award 2021, Takashima Masao Prize (GALLERY SHUKADO, Tokyo)

Grants

2021

Mitsubishi Corporation Art Gate Program Scholarship
Young Artist Grant, Muraji Contemporary Art and Culture Foundation

Media Coverage

2024

Featured in Geijutsu Shincho, April–May Issue
“Yuji Yamashita’s Hidden Gems of the Month”

2022

Featured in Monthly Public Entry Guide, February Issue
“Blue and Burning”

2021

Featured on BS Fuji TV Program
Break Zenya – Next Generation Artists