Solo Exhibition 'MADE-MAN' by Contemporary Artist Yuichi Hirako to be held at Watari-um Museum B1 On Sundays & Lightseed Gallery from April 29.
Internationally acclaimed artist Yuichi Hirako presents a new solo exhibition exploring the boundaries between nature and humanity through hybrid motifs and a fresh artistic approach.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 21:18
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A solo exhibition by contemporary artist Yuichi Hirako, titled 'MADE-MAN,' will be held from April 29 (Wed, holiday) to June 28 (Sun), 2026, at On Sundays & Lightseed Gallery (Watari-um Museum B1). In this exhibition, Hirako, who questions the boundary between nature and humans in modern society, will focus on presenting new works that explore a different approach from his previous style.
'When two or three heterogeneous things are placed side by side, one cannot help but think.' - Yuichi Hirako
Yuichi Hirako has garnered domestic and international attention through a wide variety of expressions, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, reliefs, and sometimes sound, all centered around themes of ambiguity and questions that emerge within the coexistence of nature and humans.
The motif that frequently appears in his work—a figure with a human-like body and a plant-like head—is rooted in the artist's childhood experience of growing up in the rich natural environment of Okayama. Furthermore, during his time in London after high school, he felt a sense of dissonance when people called human-maintained plants like street trees and park greenery 'nature.' This became the catalyst for his ongoing pursuit of the boundaries between nature and humans in modern society through his work.
Hirako's creations, 'hybrid beings of plants and humans,' are neither purely human nor purely plant. As such, they cross the nature/human divide, making us aware of the many different landscapes that emerge in the gradients between them. His work reconstructs our view of nature with a 'flat gaze toward nature'—neither an anthropocentric view nor an over-sanctification or fear of nature.
This exhibition will primarily consist of new works in which the artist himself explored a new approach, different from his past methods, offering a glimpse into the new landscapes depicted by Yuichi Hirako.
■ Artist Statement
Throughout a long history, we have performed many 'improvements' on ornamental plants. Those that are 'improved' are transformed into things we find more beautiful, and it is likely that this cycle will continue. However, if plants were to have superiority and we were the ones being 'improved,' what kind of changes would be demanded of us?
For this exhibition, I intentionally chose challenging expressions that I am not accustomed to. Assuming that beauty is something built through repetition, I attempted to express things that are in the middle of 'improvement'—things that are artificial but also suggest the superiority of plants.
■ Exhibition Overview
Yuichi Hirako | MADE-MAN
Period: April 29 (Wed, holiday) – June 28 (Sun), 2026
Venue: On Sundays & Lightseed Gallery (Watari-um Museum B1)
Hours: 11:00 - 20:00 (Open daily during the period)
Address: 3-7-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
URL: https://onsundays.shopselect.net/blog/2026/04/24/112154
■ Artist Goods / Books
Related goods and books are available at On Sundays.
- Plush Keyring (3 types): 3,300 yen each (tax included)
- Yuichi Hirako 'ORIGIN' Exhibition Catalog: 4,290 yen (tax included)
During the exhibition, the viewing room 'THE HIRAKO HOUSE TOKYO' in Tennoz will also be open on Fridays and Saturdays. Please visit it alongside this exhibition.
'When two or three heterogeneous things are placed side by side, one cannot help but think.' - Yuichi Hirako
Yuichi Hirako has garnered domestic and international attention through a wide variety of expressions, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, reliefs, and sometimes sound, all centered around themes of ambiguity and questions that emerge within the coexistence of nature and humans.
The motif that frequently appears in his work—a figure with a human-like body and a plant-like head—is rooted in the artist's childhood experience of growing up in the rich natural environment of Okayama. Furthermore, during his time in London after high school, he felt a sense of dissonance when people called human-maintained plants like street trees and park greenery 'nature.' This became the catalyst for his ongoing pursuit of the boundaries between nature and humans in modern society through his work.
Hirako's creations, 'hybrid beings of plants and humans,' are neither purely human nor purely plant. As such, they cross the nature/human divide, making us aware of the many different landscapes that emerge in the gradients between them. His work reconstructs our view of nature with a 'flat gaze toward nature'—neither an anthropocentric view nor an over-sanctification or fear of nature.
This exhibition will primarily consist of new works in which the artist himself explored a new approach, different from his past methods, offering a glimpse into the new landscapes depicted by Yuichi Hirako.
■ Artist Statement
Throughout a long history, we have performed many 'improvements' on ornamental plants. Those that are 'improved' are transformed into things we find more beautiful, and it is likely that this cycle will continue. However, if plants were to have superiority and we were the ones being 'improved,' what kind of changes would be demanded of us?
For this exhibition, I intentionally chose challenging expressions that I am not accustomed to. Assuming that beauty is something built through repetition, I attempted to express things that are in the middle of 'improvement'—things that are artificial but also suggest the superiority of plants.
■ Exhibition Overview
Yuichi Hirako | MADE-MAN
Period: April 29 (Wed, holiday) – June 28 (Sun), 2026
Venue: On Sundays & Lightseed Gallery (Watari-um Museum B1)
Hours: 11:00 - 20:00 (Open daily during the period)
Address: 3-7-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
URL: https://onsundays.shopselect.net/blog/2026/04/24/112154
■ Artist Goods / Books
Related goods and books are available at On Sundays.
- Plush Keyring (3 types): 3,300 yen each (tax included)
- Yuichi Hirako 'ORIGIN' Exhibition Catalog: 4,290 yen (tax included)
During the exhibition, the viewing room 'THE HIRAKO HOUSE TOKYO' in Tennoz will also be open on Fridays and Saturdays. Please visit it alongside this exhibition.