Naoya Hatakeyama

Nayoa Hatakeyama was born in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, in 1958. In 1981 he graduated from the University of Tsukuba School of Art and Design and completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Tsukuba in 1984. Hatakeyama is interested in the heightened tension that exists today between human culture and nature. In his Lime Works series and subsequent works, he traces the transformation of the Japanese landscape from limestone cliffs to concrete cities; limestone is a key element in concrete. Through interrelated groups of color images—depictions of tranquil landscapes, explosive blasts, cement factories, and sprawling urban vistas—Hatakeyama offers a subtle and expansive meditation on the human consumption of nature.
His works are held in museums including the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Mary O'Donnell Hulme