NEW YORK, NY.- The renowned Japanese sculptor Hiroyuki Asano is appearing at this year’s Asia week as the guest of Carole Davenport.

Asano, known for this precise forms and circular voids, brings a refined life to the soul of the stone representing time, space, and movement through the universe itself. He has recently surged in popularity in the east using his classical training in Italy and uniquely Japanese style to win numerous international sculpting awards, including at the 2016 Ningbo First International Sculpture Grand Prix in China, the 2014 Qingdao International Sculpture Competition, and his career defining victory at the Uminomierumori Sculpture Biennale. His works are in public and private collections around the globe, including Japan, China, Korea, Germany and the U.S. One large work is installed in the famed WuHu Sculpture Park in Anhui province, China. He has generously allowed four pieces to be displayed during Asia week through his North American dealer and friend Carole Davenport.

Then Now / Meet Hiroyuki Asano & his sculpture in a milieu of classic art at Tambaran gallery 5 East 82 St. New York City Suite 2. Through March 22. (646) 249-8500.

Born in 1963, Asano received formal fundamental trainings of sculpture in high school of fine arts and Osaka University of Arts in Japan. In junior, he once took part-time job in one stone factory, where he contacted stone sculpture for the first time, and then he began his fatal relationship with “stones”. After graduation, he went to Carrara in Italy, where he not only studied in Art Academy in Italy, but also worked and studied skills in local factory of stone sculpture. His series of female bodies were almost completed in Carrara. Later, Asano turned to abstract sculpture like the style of his work, “Hole of Cave”, accidentally.

After returning to Japan, he found that he could not frequently use marble for sculpturing, because marble was expensive in Japan. While granite is usual, he changed materials accordingly. Another reason was due to development of environmental sculpture in Japan. During six years in Italy, the economic in Japan became booming; therefore, lots of outdoor contests regarding environmental sculpture were hold then. In spite of his return in 1992, his country encountered great crisis, some contests kept going. Accordingly, Asano shifted his focus to join contests as well as environmental sculpture. In 1994, his sculpture “through the hole” won his first medal of category, a contest of Ubu outdoor sculpture held, Yamaguchi in Japan, which motivated him to continue the style.

Asano’s style could be precisely divided into two phases, during years from 1986 to 1993, mainly marble sculptures of half female bodies; years after 1993, mainly granite sculptures which related to environmental sculpture such as his “Hole of Cave”. The formers are soft and romantic while the later are hard and rational. Two different forms exhibit femininity and masculinity, which seem against each other but actually compensate each other; Asano achieves his pursuit on curving by connecting two.