Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, September 24, 2025 : Susumu Shingū, a Japanese sculptor (#2374)

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Artist of the Day, September 24, 2025 : Susumu Shingū, a Japanese sculptor (#2374)

Susumu Shingū (1937) is a kinetic sculptor from Japan. His nature-inspired works are constructed of highly engineered materials, commonly steel and Teflon.

Susumu Shingū, was born in Osaka, Japan. He matriculated at the University of Fine Arts in Tokyo in 1956, with a concentration in oil painting. A bursary from the Italian government followed, allowing him to travel to Italy where his intention was to study figurative painting. He attended the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma from 1960 to 1962. By his own account, Shingū's interest in sculpture developed as his interest in abstraction was expanding. He hung a painting outside to record it photographically: the wind interfered. He became fascinated by the potential for three-dimensional movement. "The work that followed relied on natural forces to make it move or make sound, and he began using more sophisticated materials for outdoor works," as traditional art materials were either too heavy to supply graceful natural movement or too quickly degraded under outdoor conditions.

Still in Italy, a chance meeting with Kageki Minami, the president of Osaka Ship Building Company, led to Shingū's return to Japan, where Minami allowed him a studio in his shipyard and access to the talents of company engineers. With this support, Shingū produced “Path of Wind,” a 20-meter-tall sculpture that was his first large-scale commissioned piece. He began to produce work incorporating elements from his study of the Japanese folk arts: wind chimes and traditional carp banners.

Expo '70 in Tokyo was a major event on the arts scene in Japan. Shingū was one of eight Japanese sculptors chosen to represent the nation. The organizers commissioned a large piece from Shingu for the central plaza.

He spent a year at Harvard University as a Visiting Artist at Harvard's Carpenter Center for the Visual and Environmental Studies, 1971 to 1972.

Shingū, a prolific artist, has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions internationally. Additionally, he has collaborated in theatre projects (including variations on tradition Japanese Nô performance) and published a number of children's books. His work has been honored with many awards, including the Outdoor Sculpture Prize of Nagano City and the Japan Grand Prix of Art.

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