Minoru Ohira

Minoru Ohira was born in 1950 in Niigata, Japan. He earned his B.F.A. from Kanazawa City Arts and Crafts College in 1975, his M.F.A. from Tokyo National University of Arts in 1977, and later studied at the Mexico National Institute of Art. Following his education, he moved to Los Angeles, where he currently lives and works. Ohira has recently exhibited at Offramp Gallery in Pasadena, CA; Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, CA; Bryan Ohno Gallery in Seattle, WA; OSU Fairbanks Gallery in Corvallis, OR; Muramatsu Gallery in Tokyo, Japan; and Denchu Art Museum in Okayama, Japan. Ohira received the Denchu Hirakushi award, a prestigious Japanese sculptural award, of which he is the only recipient to not actively reside in Japan.

PROCESS

Japanese artist Minoru Ohira repurposes found materials and construction waste to create large sculptures that utilize a mix of textures to form dynamic and contrasting shapes. Using the influences of his Japanese upbringing, Ohira combines Japanese culture with abstraction in his delicately balanced work.

Ohira’s wide range of woodworking techniques are put in stark contrast with the smooth graphite surfaces and slate pieces. The work evokes a duality with rugged textures and meditative carvings that fuse together Japanese and contemporary design aesthetics.