Ikki Miyake is a young sculptor who was born in Tokyo in 1973. He holds Ph.D.degree from Graduate School of Tama Art University and has shown wooden sculptres at local and international Museums, galleries and art fairs. [Dissertation title: The Shin, Ghi, Tai of Wood Sculpture – Animism for the Artists]

His wooden sculpture expresses a human's body and solemn spirituality which is immanent in that body by making full use of properties of material of wood.

His artworks has been based on two themes so far. One is "Suashi kotoba - fascination of legs". In this theme he focuses his mind on singling out materials which go well with his concept.

Another is "YOGA". He sculptures these artworks connecting human's mind and material of wood. This concept is inspired by gesture of YOGA which makes much account of connection between human's mind and the earth.

This time Ikki Miyake has approached new theme "Shinto Deities". The encounter with sacred trees which have majestic presence and we can't get easily has let him work on this. Now he thinks that sculpturing the divinity inhabits the wood is very important.

"Shinto Deities" are the shapes which is formed by a sense of awe for nature. The most oldest and representative "Shinto Deities" are <Seated Male Deity and Seated Female Deity> of Matsuo Taisha Shrine in located Kyoto and <Kumano Hayatama no Okami seated deity and Kumano Fusumi no Okami seated deity> of Kumano Hayatama Taisha shrine located in Wakayama. These are wooden sculptures curved out of sacred trees as objects representative of divine spirits by people who believe in sacred existences which inhabit nature such as mountains and waterfalls. We can perceive that animism had taken root in this country at the time.

Though few artists focus their mind on Shinto Deities in recent years, Miyake who has engaged in a wooden sculpture with sincerity has tried to express a profound respect for nature which has been forgotten easily these days beyond the time.

The main artwork of this exhibition <Iwakura nyoshin -Female Deity Seated on the rock-> was curved from the sacred tree which is two thousand years old. He had not been able to sculpture for ten years since he got this wood. Because he believes that there is perfect timing for each wood to sculpture.

Wood is the sole existence in itself. "Shinto Deities" sculptured out of the sacred tree which has mysterious power among others may convey the message to us living in this chaotic situation.