Shinya Azuma Japan, 1994

Born in 1994, Shinya Azuma is a Kyoto-based Japanese artist whose practice transforms everyday observations—sketches, fleeting images from daily life, natural landscapes, and even news broadcasts—into striking canvases defined by bold brushstrokes. His unadorned paintings captivate with their unconventional palette, vibrant textures, and a wry, ironic humor, creating a visual language that both puzzles and enthralls.

Azuma’s work spans a broad spectrum of themes, from wealth disparity to intimate reflections on personal sexuality, each piece illuminating facets of the human condition. His distinctive humor—akin to the satirical bite or self-deprecating edge of social media memes—lends his art an immediate, relatable allure. In recent years, he has expanded his oeuvre beyond painting, crafting sculptures from wood and ceramics that further broaden his expressive range.

Azuma’s talent garnered notice from collectors and curators in Japan as early as his graduate student days. His recent exhibitions include solo shows such as Breaking Out: Shinya Azuma’s Guide to Surviving the Absurd City at Bao Foundation, Shanghai, China (2025 upcoming); YOROSHIKU 夜露死苦 at Galerie Marguo, Paris, France (2024); anonymous collection at Zero Base Jingumae, Tokyo, Japan (2024); and Shame: Inevitable Man at COHJU, Kyoto, Japan (2022). He has also featured in group exhibitions like To Dust You Shall Return at Coma Gallery, Chippendale, Australia (2024) and The Echoes of East Kyoto at WHAT CAFE, Tokyo, Japan (2024). Other notable solo presentations include Throw a Knuckleball from the Jungle at EUKARYOTE, Tokyo (2021) and Human. Human? Human! at COHJU, Kyoto (2020). His works reside in prestigious collections, including Bao Foundation, Hong Kong, Takahashi Ryutaro Collection, Japan, MIYASHITA PARK, Japan and the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Japan.

Born in 1994, Shinya Azuma is a Japanese artist based in Kyoto, Japan. A graduate of the Master's program in Contemporary Art at the Kyoto University of Art and Design, Azuma's work draws from sketeches and images he encounters in daily life, natural sceneries, or even news programs, re-imagined on canvas with bold brush strokes. Unembellished, Azuma's paintings are doted for their peculiar color usage, dynamic texture, and ironic sense of humour — an unorthodox combination which seizes the eyes in a state of perplexion.

The themes of Azuma's works draw from a wide range of issues such as wealth inequality to even personal sexual experiences, but all subjects capture various aspects of humanity. Like memes on social media, the distinctive type of humor which can be regarded as satire or self-deprecating sarcasm is one of the attractions of his works. In recent years, the artist has also started creating sculptures made of wood and ceramics, expanding his range of expression beyond two-dimensional paintings.

Azuma's works have attracted the attention of collectors and art professionals in Japan as early as when he was a graduate student. His recent solo exhibitions include: Breaking Out: Shinya Azuma’s Guide to Surviving the Absurd City, Bao Foundation, Shanghai, CN (2025, solo); YOROSHIKU 夜露死苦, Galerie Marguo, Paris, FR (2024, solo); anonymous collection, Zero Base Jingumae, Tokyo, Japan (2024, solo); To Dust You Shall Return, Coma Gallery, Chippendale, AU (2024, group); 幸 - Happy, COHJU, Kyoto, JP (2024); The Echoes of East Kyoto, WHAT CAFE, Tokyo, JP (2024, group); Shame: Inevitable Man, COHJU, Kyoto, JP (2022, solo); Throw a knuckleball from the jungle, EUKARYOTE, Tokyo, JP (2021, solo); Joint technique, Seibu Shibuya Art Gallery, Tokyo, JP (2020, solo); and Human. Human? Human!, COHJU, Kyoto, JP (2020, solo). Azuma’s work is held in the Takahashi Ryutaro Collection, Japan, MIYASHITA PARK, Japan and Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Japan.