Ataru Sato

Ataru Sato attempts to understand himself, humanity, and the world around him through the act of drawing or painting. Expressing themes such as obsession, fear, and romance through fine – perhaps excessively fine – pencil lines and distinctive brushwork, Sato emphasizes that his works are created for himself. He sees art as being created by people who are alive to express their lived experiences and has no aspiration to create art for art’s sake, art that is novel, or art that seeks to be meaningful. Sato’s images continually propagate, driven by his need to comprehend the indiscernible aspects of life.Born from a core of personal questions, his work is characterized by a powerful energy that penetrates deeply, leaving a lasting impression on its viewers. Ataru Sato was born in Chiba Prefecture in 1986 and is currently based in Tokyo, Japan. In 2009, he graduated from the Advanced Art Course in the Department of Information Design, Faculty of Arts and Design at Kyoto University of Arts and Design. In addition to his 2011 and 2015 solo exhibitions at Gallery Koyanagi, the artist has also held shows in cities such as New York and Brussels. The artist’s major group exhibitions include “10000 Lives: The 8th Gwangju Biennale” (Gwangju, 2010), “Yokohama Triennale 2011: OUR MAGIC HOUR – How Much of the World Can We Know?” (Yokohama Museum of Art, NYK Waterfront Warehouse, 2011), “Inside” (Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2014), “Interpretations, Tokyo” (Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, 2019), “Dojima River Biennale 2019” (DOJIMA RIVER FORUM, Osaka, 2019), “LA MORSURE DES TERMITES” (Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2023) and “A Personal View of Contemporary Art: Takahashi Ryutaro Collection” (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2024). Sato’s works have been acquired by the Miyanomori International Museum of Art, Sapporo, the Japigozzi Collection, the Takahashi Ryutaro Collection, and Louis Vuitton Malletier.