Masaharu Sato's Solo Exhibition 'REAL≒UNREAL' to be Held at art cruise gallery in Toranomon

Art cruise gallery by Baycrew’s (hereinafter “art cruise gallery”), operated by Baycrew’s Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Chairman and CEO: Shigeru Sugimura), will present the 13th exhibition, Masaharu Sato’s solo exhibition 'REAL≒UNREAL' (hereinafter “this exhibition”), starting July 1, 2026 (Wednesday).

Masaharu Sato is an artist who transcends the boundaries of contemporary art, film, animation, and media art. Viewers experience a perceptual ambiguity—questioning whether what they see is reality or a drawn world—prompting a re-examination of the act of 'seeing' itself. Using rotoscoping—a technique where everyday scenes are filmed with a video camera and then traced and reconstructed—Sato creates dreamlike, quiet yet unsettling worlds, gently exploring themes such as 'presence/absence,' 'memory,' 'anxiety,' and 'time.'

This exhibition aims to convey a 'strong poetic sensibility' emerging from the shared feeling across works: 'Do the things we see truly exist there?' By traversing categories of works, it highlights how ordinary scenes, devoid of dramatic events, can be profoundly eloquent. Visitors will oscillate between their remembered selves and their actual selves, and this ambiguity will resonate with the works before them.

ARTIST PROFILE

Born in 1973 in Oita Prefecture. Artist. After graduating from the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Painting Department, Tokyo University of the Arts in 1999, he was a research student at the Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 2000 to 2002. Using the rotoscope technique—tracing live-action footage and reconstructing it as animation—he quietly depicts the uncertainty hidden in everyday scenes and the liminal space between presence and absence. Major solo exhibitions include 'Nine Holes: Masaharu Sato Exhibition' (Kawasaki City Museum, 2013), 'Hara Documents 10: Masaharu Sato – Tokyo Tail' (Hara Museum, 2016), and 'Masaharu Sato: Tail – Presence of Absence / Absence of Presence' (Oita Prefectural Art Museum, Mito Art Tower, 2021). Notable group exhibitions include 'Roppongi Crossing 2019: Connecting' (Mori Art Museum), 'Yokohama Triennale 2020 Afterglow' (Yokohama Museum of Art), and 'TRIO Paris·Tokyo·Osaka: Modern Art Collection' (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, 2024). Recipient of the Special Prize at the 12th Okamoto Taro Contemporary Art Award and selected by the Jury Committee at the 15th Japan Media Arts Festival. His works are collected by Hara Museum, Mori Art Museum, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Oita Prefectural Art Museum, and Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art. Passed away in 2019.

©Masaharu Sato, courtesy of imura art gallery

Exhibition Overview

Artist: Masaharu Sato / Masaharu Sato

Exhibition Title: REAL≒UNREAL

Dates: July 1 (Wed), 2026 – August 23 (Sun), 2026

Venue: art cruise gallery by Baycrew’s

Address: 2-6-3 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Inside SELECT by BAYCREW’S, 3F, Toranomon Hills Station Tower

Opening Hours: 11:00–20:00 (Last entry at 19:30)

Cooperation: imura art gallery

Event Information

[Press Preview]

June 30, 2026 (Tue) 15:00–17:00

Reservation for press preview participation is available here.

[Reception]

June 30, 2026 (Tue) 17:00–19:30

GALLERY PROFILE

art cruise gallery by Baycrew’s is a space where art and fashion—both essential elements of lifestyle—intersect.

Through cross-genre curation unique to BAYCREW’S, the gallery highlights works and artists that embody timeless beauty, regardless of form, era, or origin.

The evolving spatial design for each exhibition aims to materialize the artists’ unique worldviews. By not prescribing how to view the works, infinite relationships emerge between pieces, allowing visitors’ subjectivity and sensibilities to infinitely expand the space.

The gallery, which opened at the end of February 2024, has its curation, graphic design, and scenography directed by Osamu Oouchi, the General Director.

DIRECTOR PROFILE

Osamu Oouchi

Art Director / Graphic Designer / Scenographer

Born in 1971. Graduated from the Department of Graphic Design, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tama Art University. After studying under the late Ikko Tanaka, he founded Nanonano Graphics Inc. in 2003. Centering his creative work on the synergy between 2D and 3D, he produces photo books, art catalogs, and art publications, while also directing exhibition planning, curation, and integrated spatial and graphic design both domestically and internationally.

He serves as the General Producer of 'Matsumoto Architecture Art Festival,' which he founded in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, and also holds positions as Associate Producer at Matsumoto City Museum and Part-time Lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts.

HP: http://www.nanogra.jp/

Company Overview

[Baycrew’s Co., Ltd.]

Established: July 22, 1977

Chairman and CEO: Shigeru Sugimura

President and Director: Masayoshi Furumine

Headquarters: Shibuya CAST 3–10F, 1-23-21 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Business Activities: Planning, manufacturing, and sales of women’s and men’s total fashion; operation of directly managed stores and restaurants; operation of e-commerce sites; furniture sales; and fitness business operations

HP: https://baycrews.co.jp/

Store Overview

[art cruise gallery by Baycrew's]

Address: 2-6-3 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Inside SELECT by BAYCREW’S, 3F, Toranomon Hills Station Tower

HP: artcruisegallery.com

Instagram: @art_cruise_gallery

[SELECT by BAYCREW’S]

Address: 2-6-3 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

2F & 3F, Toranomon Hills Station Tower

HP: select-by.baycrews.co.jp/

Instagram: @select_by_baycrews