We are pleased to announce that gallery UG Osaka Umeda will host Hideki Iinuma's exhibition, "Roulette," from Wednesday, August 28, 2024, to Tuesday, September 17, 2024. This will be his first solo exhibition at gallery UG Osaka Umeda.
Hideki Iinuma was born in Nagano Prefecture in 1975. After completing his graduate studies at Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music in 2002, he enrolled at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Nantes, France, where he continued to be active in various parts of Europe until 2006. During his time studying in Paris, Iinuma deepened his awareness of fashion and began to view women as objects of admiration. This led him to start creating wooden sculptures inspired by modern women.
Iinuma's works transcend the fleeting trends of fashion, expressing the timeless beauty and lives of women. His unique technique, characterized by rough carving marks that leave the texture of the wood visible, ensures that the women he sculpts remain eternally vibrant and beautiful. His work leaves a profound impression on viewers, as if eternally engraving the strength and beauty of women.
In this exhibition, the artist explores the "importance of self-expression and choice." The title "Roulette" symbolizes the uncertainty of life, governed by fate and chance, and suggests that the pursuit of one's fundamental meaning and value is an essential aspect of human existence, requiring continuous challenge regardless of the era.
Iinuma has participated in major exhibitions such as "Rokko Meets Art: Art Walk 2013" (Hyogo), "LUMINE Meets ART AWARD 2015," and his solo museum exhibition "Warring Goddesses" at Matsumoto City Museum of Art in 2016. His other notable exhibitions include "The Girl Who Was Supposed to be Digitized but Somehow Transformed into Natural Wood" at Canon Digital House Ginza (Tokyo, 2019) and "New Works" at Marianne Kranmer Projects (Amsterdam, 2018).
—gallery UG Osaka Umeda
"Life is like a roulette wheel.
Where you are born, where you live, and where you grow up are all determined by fate. Gender differences, skin color, nationality, religion, and family environment are not choices we make. Whether you have been oppressed or raised in a family that has pioneered new worlds, these are factors beyond your control. However, I believe that self-expression is what transcends the roulette. By gathering various pieces of information, turning them into knowledge, thinking independently, making decisions, and constantly making choices, we express ourselves as individuals. Even if it means stepping outside the boundaries of the roulette, we must challenge each choice as if betting on life, even at the risk of failure. I believe that pursuing what lies at the root of these challenges is what is required of us. In this exhibition, I aim to emphasize the importance of challenging the roulette."
—Hideki Iinuma,
