Eiji WATANABE

Misono / The Garden of Names 2010
(Gymnasium of Nagoya City Misono Elementary School, Aichi Triennale 2010)

Butterfly’s-Eye View – Showcase Installation 2009
(Hirakata City Gotenyama Lifelong Learning Center for Fine Arts)

Biography

• 1961 Born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan
• 1985 Graduated from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, Department of Sculpture
• 2004–2005 Stayed in Scotland as a Visiting Researcher at Edinburgh College of Art, under the Overseas Study Program for Artists sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
• Lives in Nagoya
• Works from his studios in Nagoya and Agui-cho, Aichi Prefecture

Solo Exhibitions

• 1989–1993 Stegosaurus Studio, Nagoya
• 1994
  • “Practice for Forms and Shadows: Part 1,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
  • “Practice for Forms and Shadows: Part 2,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 1995/96 “The Spectre of the Brocken,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 1997
  • “White Breath,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
  • “Names of Stars,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
  • “The Garden of Names 1997,” Tokiwa Gallery, Tokyo
• 1998 Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 1999
  • “Memory of Language,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
  • “Someone Else’s Doing,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
• 2000 “Out of Time,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
• 2001
  • Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
  • “Telescope,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 2002 “Tomorrow is Yesterday,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
• 2003 “The Garden of Names 2003,” Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, Scotland
• 2004 Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 2005
  • “The Garden of Names 2005,” The Glasshouse Hotel, Edinburgh
  • “Re – ,” C3 Studio, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh
• 2006 “Blue Red / Red Blue,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 2007 “Pose,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 2008
  • “The Champion Makes a Leap in a Magazine on Sunday,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
  • “The Pictorial Book Garden,” Minokamo City Museum, Minokamo, Gifu
• 2009
  • “The Speaking Mirror,” Hekinan City Philosophical Experience Village Mugaen, Hekinan, Aichi
  • “Butterfly’s-Eye View / The Cairn Installation 2009,” The Cairn Gallery, Pittenweem, UK
  • “Collecting Pictorial Books,” Hirakata City Gotenyama Lifelong Learning Center for Fine Arts, Hirakata, Osaka
• 2010 Orkney Islands Artist-in-Residence, Orkney, UK
• 2011 “Comet,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
• 2012 “comet II,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
• 2013
  • Tent, Edinburgh, UK
  • sleeper, Edinburgh, UK
  • “Vehicles,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 2014 “Garden of the Reproduction,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
• 2015 “Hurry! slowly,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 2016 sleeper, Edinburgh, UK
• 2017 “Blink,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
• 2018/19 “Eiji Watanabe: The Butterfly’s Dream,” Fuji Paper Museum (Rose Theatre 1F East Side), Fuji, Shizuoka
• 2020 “Merman,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 2022
  • “Release,” Higashi-Shizuoka Art & Sports/Hiroba, Shizuoka
  • “Sea of Eden,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
  • “TIME FLIES – Eiji Watanabe” (Curated by Junko Suzuki) [Ocaille 20th Anniversary Exhibition], OCAILLE, Tokyo
• 2024 “The Morning Star,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
• 2025
  • “Tokyo Biennale,” Etoile Kaito Living Center, Tokyo
  • Art Obulist 2025: Eiji Watanabe Exhibition “Morning Monster / W Eiji,” Okura Park, Obu, Aichi

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 1991 The 10th Parallel Art Exhibition, Ohara Ryu Kaikan, Tokyo
• 1998
  • “NEW WORKS – New Works by 6 Artists,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
  • “Innocent Minds,” Aichi Arts Center, Nagoya
• 2000 “SCOPE,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 2001
  • “Encounter,” Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo
  • “Art in the Home,” Yamaguchi
• 2002
  • “Field Studies,” Essor Gallery, London
  • “Art in the Home,” Edinburgh, Scotland
  • “Offside,” gm, Osaka / Yokohama Museum of Art Gallery, Yokohama
  • “Elsewhere,” WBD / Essor Gallery, Berlin
  • “Metamorphosis and Metastasis: Installation Works by 4 (+1) Artists,” Aichi Arts Center, Nagoya
  • “TAG TEAM EXPERIMENT,” Billy McCall Studio, Edinburgh
• 2003
  • “Temporary Project Room Exhibitions,” Temporary Studio at Nagoya Zoukei University of Art & Design, Komaki, Aichi
  • “The Body of Sculpture,” The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts (Gallery), Tokyo
  • “Take off / TAKE OFF FOR,” Yokoyama Memorial Manzù Art Museum, Tokyo Zokei University, Tokyo
• 2004
  • “The Forbidden Room (Miruna no Zashiki),” BABA, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
  • “The Sea/Sky Concert,” Gamagori Reclaimed Land, Gamagori, Aichi
  • “The Garden of Names + eca UNION” Collaboration Work, Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh
• 2005 “Tatsuo Majima X Eiji Watanabe,” BABA, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
• 2007
  • “The Smile in Art: Humor in Contemporary Art,” Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
  • “Never Been to Houston,” Lawndale Art Center, Houston, USA
  • “Tokoname Art & Design Factory” Exhibition, Tokoname, Aichi
  • “Cycle and Recycle,” Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya
• 2008 “Field Studies,” Minokamo City Museum / Outdoor, Minokamo, Gifu
• 2009
  • “Field Studies,” Minokamo City Museum / Outdoor, Minokamo, Gifu
  • “Fukutake House / Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2009,” Tokamachi, Niigata (Presented by Kenji Taki Gallery)
  • “Tactile Vision,” Slewe Gallery, Amsterdam
• 2010
  • “Editions,” The Cairn Gallery, Pittenweem, Scotland, UK
  • “Woodland Gallery,” Minokamo City Museum / Outdoor, Minokamo, Gifu
  • “Aichi Triennale 2010,” Cho長-cho Starnet Japan Building and Aichi Arts Center, Nagoya
• 2011
  • “This is Not a Book: The Expansion of Book Art,” Urawa Art Museum, Saitama / Fukui City Art Museum, Fukui
  • “Keihanna Wander Art 2011: Woodland Path of Art Walk,” Keihanna Commemorative Park, Soraku-gun, Kyoto
  • “simple things,” Nagoya City Gallery Yada, Nagoya
• 2012
  • “Contemporary Art Exhibition in Toyohashi,” Toyohashi, Aichi
  • “Woodland Gallery 2012,” Minokamo City Museum, Minokamo, Gifu
  • “Natural History of Nature and Fantasy,” Toyohashi City Museum of Art & History, Toyohashi, Aichi
  • “Rokko Meets Art 2012,” Mount Rokko Area, Kobe
• 2013
  • “Nissan Art Award 2013,” BankART Studio NYK, Yokohama
  • “Eiji Watanabe Art Exhibition: The Garden of Names” (Aichi Triennale 2013 Parallel Project), Nanatsudera Kyodo Studio, Nagoya
• 2014
  • “Meets Art: The Treasure Box of the Forest,” The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Main Gallery, Kanagawa
  • “Open Eyes = Open Mind III,” Life Up Square Eyes, Maebashi, Gunma
  • “Shinshu University Exhibition 2014: The Garden of Exploration,” Shinshu University Museum of Natural History, Matsumoto, Nagano
• 2015 “The Botanical Garden of Art,” Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya
• 2016
  • “Eiji Watanabe / Yasuko Otsuka,” Hebel_121, Basel, Switzerland
  • Assembridge Nagoya 2016 “Panorama Garden,” MAT, Nagoya
  • “LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL,” Art Lab Aichi Otsubashi, Nagoya (Exhibited as Star Projects)
  • Art Obulist 2016 “Hurry! slowly,” Obu City Labor and Culture Center, Obu, Aichi
• 2017
  • “Art Zuid 2017,” The Art Chapel, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • “Eiji Watanabe & Yasuko Otsuka” Exhibition, Boekie Woekie (Artist’s Bookstore), Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • “Kakegawa Chaennale,” Kakegawa, Shizuoka
• 2019
  • “Outside the Mosquito Net (Kaya no Soto),” Hebel_121 Gallery, Basel, Switzerland
  • “Aichi Art Chronicle 1919-2019,” Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya
  • Nagoya Teramachi Art Project 2019 “Shikashi Kashika,” Hioki Shrine, Nagoya
• 2020
  • “task,” Art Lab Aichi, Nagoya (Organized by Nagoya University of the Arts)
  • “Creative Dialogue with the Museum 03: What Creates Value?,” Tottori Prefectural Museum, Tottori
• 2021
  • “The Transition of Life,” Hekinan City Tatsukichi Fujii Museum of Contemporary Art, Hekinan, Aichi
  • “Delta,” KAYOKOYUKI / Komagome Soko, Tokyo (Co-organized by Nagoya University of the Arts and KAYOKOYUKI)
  • “Naoetsu Umimachi Art,” various locations across the Naoetsu district / Naoetsu Yatai Kaikan, Joetsu, Niigata
  • “Kakegawa Chaennale 2020+1,” Fujibun at Hisasaka-shuku, Kakegawa, Shizuoka
  • “2021,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
• 2022
  • “Our Secret Flower Garden,” Higashiosaka City Cultural Center, Higashiosaka, Osaka
  • “Deux Oies / Two Geese,” Musée Giezen, Château Magny-en-Bessin, Normandy, France
  • “PAPER: A Quest into the World ‘with’ PAPER,” Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto, Kumamoto
• 2024 “Eiji Watanabe – The Morning Star,” Kenji Taki Gallery, Tokyo
• 2025 “ARTZUID 2025,” Amsterdam, Netherlands

Public Collections

• Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya
• Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM), Oita
• Hekinan City Tatsukichi Fujii Museum of Contemporary Art, Aichi

Selected Projects & Curatorial Work

• 2004 Curated “conran show,” OKADA STUDIO, Chita, Aichi
• 2005 Curated Mitsunori Kimura Solo Exhibition “Paint Sculptures” at the flat, Edinburgh, Scotland
• 2006 Curated Mitsunori Kimura Solo Exhibition “ISOUROU,” sakurayama studio, Nagoya
• 2008 Curated “Field Studies,” Minokamo Culture Forest / Minokamo City Museum (Outdoor), Minokamo, Gifu
• 2009 Curated “Hekinan Socrates: Ignorance of Ignorance Part 2,” Hekinan City Philosophical Experience Village Mugaen, Hekinan, Aichi
• 2010–2016 Curated and managed Hoshi Gallery (located in the Fushimi Underground Mall, Nagoya), including “Little Vehicle” (2010/2013) and numerous other exhibitions
• 2015 Curated “Adam Barker-Mill Exhibition,” Button Gallery, Nagoya (as Star Projects)
• 2016
  • Curated “Paul Coldwell Exhibition,” Button Gallery, Nagoya (as Star Projects)
  • Curated Art Obulist 2016 “Hurry! slowly,” Obu City Labor and Culture Center, Obu, Aichi
  • Curated and exhibited “LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL,” Art Lab Aichi Otsubashi, Nagoya (as Star Projects)
• 2017 Curated Art Obulist 2017 “Art of Art,” surrounding areas of Obu City Hall, Obu, Aichi
• 2018 Curated Art Obulist 2018 “The Forbidden Room (Miruna no Zashiki),” surrounding areas of Obu City Hall, Obu, Aichi
• 2019 In-store installation “a secret garden,” OCAILLE, Tokyo
• 2020 Curated and supervised “Super Gallery,” Nagoya (Co-organized by Eiji Watanabe + MAT Nagoya)
• 2023 Established and managed the project space “Jingu339,” Nagoya