KEN SUGIMOTO

MEDIUM

Sculpture

ARTIST STATEMENT

“I explore the beauty of continuous curves through the theme of balance and tension, creating dynamic metal sculptures that respond to space and light.”

ARTIST BIO

Ken Sugimoto is a metal artist born in Nagano, Japan. He studied industrial design at a design school in Tokyo and worked as an industrial designer in Japan. After moving to the United States in 2005, he continued his career in industrial design. During this time, a chance encounter with metalworking deeply inspired him, and he gradually transitioned into the field of metal art, where he now works as a full-time metal artist. His work has been presented in juried exhibitions and art fairs, and it is represented and placed with galleries. He also creates custom work for private and corporate clients.

The organic, flowing forms in Sugimoto’s metal art may appear minimal at first, but they are composed of continuous, interconnected curves that form complex structures. These intricate, flowing forms can also be found throughout living organisms. The shapes of living things were not created for beauty, but developed through evolution in pursuit of function. Nevertheless, people have long perceived beauty in them. Through his work, Sugimoto reexamines this unconscious beauty, extracts its essence, and reconstructs it through the principles of balance and tension, which are central to his sculptures.

By repeatedly heating and hammering stainless steel or carbon steel, he gradually shapes the material, echoing the way life evolves over time. Through repeated sanding and polishing, he creates a glossy surface that enhances the form’s inherent dynamism and tension.

His work also explores contrast, pairing organic forms with inorganic structure. Steel, an inorganic material, is shaped into organic forms, while wood, an organic material, is formed into geometric shapes. These contrasts reflect both his long career as an industrial designer and the liberating, intuitive approach he discovered through metal art.

Light, shadow, and reflections shift with the environment and the viewer’s movement, further activating the work and bringing out the dynamism of the form.