Keizo Mori (Ph.D.)

EDUCATION

1988 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Tama Art University, Tokyo

1997 Italian Government Scholarship, Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, Italy

2003 Master of Education, Gifu University, Gifu

2012 Doctor of Philosophy, Chiba University, Chiba

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS and AWARDS

2009 Award of Excellence, Ikawa Annual Sakura Sculpture CompetitionⅩ, Akita Japan

2013 Encouragement Prize, KOBE Biennale 2013, Hyogo Japan

2016 Award for Sculpture Section, International Biennial of Miniature Arts Timisoara

2017 Victory, ArtApp Artist Contest II Edizione, Italy

2018 Award of Excellence, The 4th Geibunkyo Exhibition, Kyoto Japan

2018 Prize, Kunitachi Art Biennial 2018, Tokyo Japan

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Nihonkokkaen, Ikawa-cho, Akita Japan

West University of Timisoara, Timisoara, România

Sakura Street, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo Japan

Muzeul Ţării Crişurilor, Oradea România

I was born on 8th of December 1963 in Shiga, Japan. Since I was a child, sculptures have been the most familiar art for me because my great-grandfather and grandfather were traditional woodcarvers. While I was a student at the Tama Arte University of Sculpture from 1988, I became interested in modern Italian sculptures. In 1997, this interest led me to study at the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, thanks to the Italian Government Scholarship. As soon as I returned to Japan in 2000, I had an Atelier in Shiga. In 2009, the monument which I made of iron received the Award of Excellence at the Ikawa Annual Sakura Sculpture Competition X in Akita, Japan. In 2013, my installation was given the Encouragement Prize at Kobe Biennale 2013 in Hyogo, Japan. In 2016, my object made by applying the traditional oriental technique of putting in layers of cloth soaked in a lacquer which is called Urushi, won the Award for Sculpture Section at the International Biennial of Miniature Arts Timisoara. In 2018, my object made by using the lacquer received the Award of Excellence at The 4th Geibunkyo Exhibition in Kyoto. In 2003, in addition to making art, I also began to study the Italian sculptures made during the fascism period at the Chiba University, and in 2012 I received my Ph.D. The study made me think of the relationship between society and arts, these thoughts exist in my works.