Toshikatsu ENDO

Biography

• 1950 Born in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Born into a lineage of traditional Miya-daiku (shrine and temple carpenters) in the Hida region, growing up surrounded by timber and craftsmanship from early childhood.
• 1972 Graduated from Nagoya Zoukei Junior College of Art and Design (currently Nagoya Zokei University), Department of Sculpture.
• Late 1970s Began creating full-scale works utilizing fundamental, natural elements such as wood, water, soil, and fire. Established a distinctive artistic vocabulary by sculpting massive timbers (often in the forms of rings and cylinders) with a chainsaw, then charring them with a burner or coating them with tar.
• 1987 Participated in “Documenta 8” (Kassel, Germany).
• 1990 Represented the Japan Pavilion at the 44th Venice Biennale (Italy).
• 1990s–2000s Held numerous solo exhibitions at museums and galleries both in Japan and internationally. Developed large-scale installations—such as his Epitaph and Theory of Vacuity series—that explore life and death, mythology, and the primal nature of matter.
• 2007– Served as a Guest Professor at Musashino Art University, among other institutions.
• Present Resides in Saitama Prefecture, where he maintains his studio and continues his active creative practice.

Trieb (Drive) – Hippocampus, 1997
Iron, copper wire, horsehide, electric current, and other materials

Soil – Formalin
Iron, soil, and formalin (From the Invisible Nature: Homecoming Exhibition)