“I often imagine the appearance of cryptids. If cryptids could dream, would humans also exist in their imagination?”
In collaboration with the art curation unit WAY by Way of Difference, renowned Japanese wood carving artist Yoshimasa Tsuchiya presents his first art exhibition in Hong Kong—”Cryptids Dream Twice”—at the Gallery by the Harbour from 5 June to 6 July 2025. This internationally acclaimed artist, known for his spirit-inspired wood carvings, showcases iconic animal sculptures that blend traditional Japanese Buddhist carving techniques with modern artistic concepts. Each of the 9 new works carries its own story and meaning, inviting audiences into a captivating world where reality and fantasy intertwine.
Yoshimasa Tsuchiya graduated from the Sculpture Department of Tokyo University of the Arts, where his in-depth study of ancient sculptures laid a crucial foundation for his artistic creation. He excels at perfectly blending traditional Japanese Buddhist carving techniques with modern artistic concepts, developing a distinctive wood carving style. He has a particular passion for exploring the essence and fantastical imagery of creatures, often featuring cryptids from reality and mythology in his works, including kirin, unicorns, and mermaids.
In terms of creative techniques, Tsuchiya primarily uses hinoki and camphor wood as materials, skillfully employing the traditional “Gyokugan” (crystal eye) technique found in Buddhist sculpture. The eyes of the animals are inlaid with crystal glass beads specially crafted by glass artist Fukuo Tanaka. Tsuchiya outlines the dynamic poses of the creatures with minimal and precise lines, combined with his unique light-toned colouring treatment, allowing each piece to retain the natural warmth of the wood while exuding an ethereal quality. This perfect fusion of traditional craftsmanship and modern aesthetics enables Tsuchiya’s wood carvings to stand out in the contemporary art scene.
The inspiration for his Hong Kong debut exhibition stems from a warm and poetic moment in Tsuchiya’s daily life—when he observed his beloved dog gently twitching its limbs in sleep. This seemingly ordinary detail sparked Tsuchiya’s creative imagination, prompting him to reconsider the world from an animal’s perspective and explore the subtle connections between the perception of reality and the creation of fantasy. The exhibition features a series of works rooted in ancient legends while incorporating personal life experiences, including Tsuchiya’s signature animals: the milky-white deer, seen as a being that can freely traverse between different worlds; the unicorn, symbolizing strength and freedom; the Loch Ness Monster, gradually forgotten by modern society; as well as his important companions—a reserved yet adored Persian cat, his late dog, and the vibrant, thorny roses in his garden.
Deer serves as a highly representative theme in Tsuchiya’s artistic creations, continuously reinterpreted since his graduation work during his student years. Tsuchiya believes that the deer freely wandering in the Japanese mountains, particularly the milky-white deer that occasionally appear near his studio in the suburbs, symbolize an existence that transcends human definitions. This profound understanding and portrayal of spiritual beings have earned Tsuchiya’s works great acclaim in the international art market, with one piece selling for a high price of 5.04 million NTD at a 2022 Ravenel auction, setting a personal auction record.
Tsuchiya’s artistic footprint spans the globe, with recent key exhibitions including the solo show “Myth in the Forest” held in 2023 at Galerie Eigen + Art in Leipzig, Germany, an exhibition in 2021 at the Kumanokodo Nakahechi Museum of Art in Wakayama, Japan and a solo show in 2013 at the Karuizawa New Art Museum. His works are also collected by several renowned art institutions, including the Takamatsu Art Museum, the Hokkaido Asahikawa Museum of Art, and the Arizona State University Art Museum. The exhibition “Cryptids Dream Twice” at the Gallery by the Harbour is the first to comprehensively present the artist’s years of artistic contemplation on the nature of life and spiritual existence to Asian audiences.
Yoshimasa Tsuchiya’s Solo Exhibition “Cryptids Dream Twice” @Harbour City
Date: 5 June – 6 July 2025
Time: 11AM – 10PM
Venue: Gallery by the Harbour (Shop 207, Level 2, Ocean Center, Harbour City)
