Kineta Kunimatsu

Kineta Kunimatsu, was born in Hokkaido, in 1977. He graduated from Tama Art University's Department of Sculpture in 2001 and has been an active member of the Tobiu Art Community in Shiraoi, Hokkaido since 2002. 

Raised in a family oriented towards the artistic world, Kineta developed a natural attraction for art. Initially, he was appealed by three-dimensional forms, exploring fields like architecture and ceramic art before ultimately finding his primary medium in wood. A central element of Kineta’s creative process. 

As an active member of the Ayoro Laboratory, he gets involved in hands-on exploration of the area’s natural surroundings.

This collective often works with materials gathered from the coastal region, such as pebbles and other objects washed ashore. They then use them in their art practice. Kineta’s direct interaction with nature serves to discover new forms and ideas that give his work a raw, organic aesthetic and a profound connection to the nature and landscape of his place.

He creates wood sculptures and paintings inspired by the surrounding landscape, particularly the meeting lines where sea, land, and sky converge. 

Since 2009, Kineta has been developing a painting series called Horizon, inspired by photographs taken along the Shiraoi coastline near his studio in Hokkaido. The series features ephemeral atmospheric moments, such as a lightly foggy seascape, a rainy day, or the sunlight that illuminates a dry land. He focuses on the boundaries within landscapes, such as horizons and mountain ranges. 

Kineta Kunimatsu's wooden sculptures and paintings celebrate the beauty of nature and are a reminder of what once existed. He often uses local materials to create works intimately connected to the natural environment of his native place. Although inspired by Hokkaido’s landscapes, he wants to invite the viewers to project their memories and emotions when looking at the works.

Kineta Kunimatsu’s works have gained attention at exhibitions both in Japan and abroad. He has exhibited in renowned institutions abroad such as Villa Savoye, Poissy, France, and The Noguchi Museum in New York. Today, his works are part of renowned collections, including the Takahashi Ryutaro Collection and the Obayashi Collection in Tokyo, Japan and the Maison Louis Carré in France.