Maoya Kishi / 貴志 真生也

Born in 1986, in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

Education
2009: Graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts, Department of Sculpture.

Kishi creates a wide range of works, including sculptures and installations, using materials such as timber, construction supplies, blue tarps, styrofoam, and LED signboards—elements that, on their own, have no inherent meaning. These materials are assembled with minimal alteration in a simple manner. As viewers, we instinctively attempt to discern the artist’ s intentions or decipher what the work is meant to represent, but such efforts often prove futile.
In his creative process, Kishi closely observes existing objects and phenomena in society, engaging in a kind of dialogue with everything around him. He pays keen attention to the texture, condition, and assembly of the materials. By dismantling conventional structures and frameworks, he reconfigures them according to his own set of rules and logic—almost as if he were inventing a new language.

Selected Exhibitions

“Osaka Directory 2: Maoya Kishi” (2022, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka), “The Abundance of Things – Contemporary Art in Toyokawa” (2015, Toyokawa City Sakuragaoka Museum, Aichi), “Real Japanesque” (2012, The National Museum of Art, Osaka), “The Source of Inspiration” (Window Display for Maison Hermès Ginza, Tokyo).And the solo shows “Little Castle” (Kodama Gallery, Tokyo, 2009), “Bacronym” (Kodama Gallery, Tokyo, 2010), “Nose Up” (Antenna Art Space, Kyoto, 2010), and “Peek Again” (Kobe Art Village Center 1F, 2014).