About ten years ago, Shinsuke Inoue sourced a piece of Japanese wood and carved portraits of his children, “wanting to preserve their likenesses in three dimensions,” the artist told Colossal. Expressing the affection of a loved one in sculptural form sparked a new enthusiasm for wood carving, with a particular emphasis on the human figure.
There is an essential grounding or gravity to Inoue’s works that makes their restrained, sometimes difficult-to-read expression so captivating. The figures often look straight ahead and at the right angles to make strong eye contact with the audience. Rather than the way the tiniest twitch of a facial muscle can create a meaningful smile or a slight frown, these compelling characters are physically small but their inner emotional worlds are infinite.
Inoue works intuitively, letting the natural qualities of the materials guide his hands. “I have almost no idea what the finished product is going to look like until I actually start working with wood,” he says. “Thus, form often emerges as I carve, and I often change my plans along the way. Of course, I keep many of my failures secret.” He always sculpts using hand tools and rarely names his works.
The artist also refers to people around him, strangers he passes on the street or sees photos of, but his sculptures are not realistic depictions of specific individuals. Instead, Inoue focused on capturing an “essence of human existence…I wanted the inherent appeal of wood, combined with its form and color, to resonate and convey the essence of humanity itself.”
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