2025.10.21 Tue. ICA Kyoto TALK 060 “How I Became an Artist” to be held.
Speaker: SHIMABUKU （Artist / Japan）
2025.10.15
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ICA kyoto TALK 060
Moderator： Takuya Tsutsumi (Program Director of ICA Kyoto)
Simultaneous Interpreter： Miho Tsujii
In this talk, we welcome artist Michihiro Shimabuku to trace his practice from the early stages of his career to the present.
In the first half, he will reflect on how his sense of dissonance with Japan’s art education led him to study at the San Francisco Art Institute, and how, as a young artist, he established the foundation of his practice and expanded it onto the international stage.
The latter half will feature an open discussion with participants, exploring ways of creating works independent of institutional frameworks, and considering the nature of art that values experience and uniqueness of each moment.
Through Shimabuku’s artistic journey—including his challenges and experiments—this talk offers an opportunity to reconsider and share creative practice from both artistic and career perspectives.
Venue： CAPS 6F NC building, Kyoto University of the Arts
Capacity： Approx. 40 persons / Advance booking is not required
Admission： Free
Organized by： ICA Kyoto, Kyoto University of Arts Graduate School
Cooperation： Higashiyama Artists Placement Service (HAPS)
After living in Berlin, Germany for 12 years, Shimabuku moved to Naha, Okinawa, Japan in 2016 where he is currently based.
From the beginning of the 1990s, he has travelled to various places in Japan and overseas, creating performances and installations that consider the daily lives and cultures of people he encounters, as well as new forms of communication. He also works in a diverse range of media including sculpture, film and photography. Full of poetic sentiment and humor while also inspiring people in metaphorical ways, his style has gained a worldwide reputation.
In recent years, he has held solo exhibitions at institutions such as Centro Botín in Santander, Spain (2024), Museion in Bolzano, Italy (2023), and the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco (2021). He has also participated in numerous group and international exhibitions, including those at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Hayward Gallery in London, the Venice Biennale (2003, 2017), the São Paulo Biennial (2006), the Havana Biennial (2015), and the Lyon Biennale (2017). He has also served as a visiting professor at the Braunschweig University of Art (HBK), Germany (2005–2006), and as a visiting lecturer at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), Switzerland (2014–2015).
How I Became an Artist
Speaker： SHIMABUKU (Artist / Okinawa, Japan)Moderator： Takuya Tsutsumi (Program Director of ICA Kyoto)
Simultaneous Interpreter： Miho Tsujii
In this talk, we welcome artist Michihiro Shimabuku to trace his practice from the early stages of his career to the present.
In the first half, he will reflect on how his sense of dissonance with Japan’s art education led him to study at the San Francisco Art Institute, and how, as a young artist, he established the foundation of his practice and expanded it onto the international stage.
The latter half will feature an open discussion with participants, exploring ways of creating works independent of institutional frameworks, and considering the nature of art that values experience and uniqueness of each moment.
Through Shimabuku’s artistic journey—including his challenges and experiments—this talk offers an opportunity to reconsider and share creative practice from both artistic and career perspectives.
Event Details
Date： October 21 (Tue.), 2025, 18:00-19:30Venue： CAPS 6F NC building, Kyoto University of the Arts
Capacity： Approx. 40 persons / Advance booking is not required
Admission： Free
Organized by： ICA Kyoto, Kyoto University of Arts Graduate School
Cooperation： Higashiyama Artists Placement Service (HAPS)
SHIMABUKU
Born in Kobe, Japan 1969 Lives in Naha, JapanAfter living in Berlin, Germany for 12 years, Shimabuku moved to Naha, Okinawa, Japan in 2016 where he is currently based.
From the beginning of the 1990s, he has travelled to various places in Japan and overseas, creating performances and installations that consider the daily lives and cultures of people he encounters, as well as new forms of communication. He also works in a diverse range of media including sculpture, film and photography. Full of poetic sentiment and humor while also inspiring people in metaphorical ways, his style has gained a worldwide reputation.
In recent years, he has held solo exhibitions at institutions such as Centro Botín in Santander, Spain (2024), Museion in Bolzano, Italy (2023), and the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco (2021). He has also participated in numerous group and international exhibitions, including those at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Hayward Gallery in London, the Venice Biennale (2003, 2017), the São Paulo Biennial (2006), the Havana Biennial (2015), and the Lyon Biennale (2017). He has also served as a visiting professor at the Braunschweig University of Art (HBK), Germany (2005–2006), and as a visiting lecturer at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), Switzerland (2014–2015).