ZHONG CHENG

Yoshimasa Tsuchiya Was born in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan in 1977. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Tokyo National University of the Arts in 2001 and his Master of Fine Arts degree from the same institution in 2003. Since 2007, he has held several exhibitions of his artwork in Tokyo, Hokkaido, and Kanagawa Prefecture. His 2010 exhibition "Currents in Japanese Contemporary Wood Sculpture" in Hokkaido attracted many art enthusiasts.

In his 2012 solo exhibition "Dialogue with Trees," he created animal sculptures using Japanese cypress and camphor wood, based on both reality and mythical creatures. Using the wood carving techniques of Japanese Buddhist statue restoration, Tsuchiya creates soulful and warm living creatures that are lifelike and delicate. They can be mistaken for ceramics, yet they possess an additional softness that sets them apart from ceramics.