KAMIJO Fumiho embraces materials including wood, clay and plaster. HATANO Izumi, pursues sculptural elements in his subjects through observation. Both sculptors have for many years nurtured junior artists at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts and created a new wave of Okinawa sculptures. 

KAMIJO Fumiho （1953-） started off with wood carving, then after moving to Okinawa in 1986, he began to work with Okinawan materials such as limestone, plaster and clay. After training in Italy in 1998 he was inspired by a tree to return to his roots and presented works such as “The End of August” （1999-2017） with a multitude of leaves created from finely carved wood. 

HATANO Izumi （1957-） who was influenced by Dunhuang’s stone caves and Japan’s Buddhist statues, creates his works using traditional methods such as dry lacquer. Hatano, who states “I always want to be a good observer”, creates portrait-like sculptures with a theme of “rare characters” that pervade individuals without being bound to nuts, rare animals, or existing values. 

In this exhibition, of two sculptors who are active in Okinawa, we introduce about 70 pieces from their earliest to their latest work, following the footsteps of Kamijo who continues his dialogue with materials, while Hatano approaches the essence of his subjects.