(1982–) Japan
With his long fingers, Sawada slowly attaches thorns, one by one, to his sculptures. He likes the feeling of clay rolling between his fingers. With scrupulous perfectionism, he makes clay images that look like friendly monsters. It is still unclear whether he follows an image in his head or simply does what his instinct inspires him to do at the moment when he is at work. He works calmly and rhythmically, without hesitation, which suggests that he has a vision of how the completed work will look. Even large sculptures he completes in just four or five days. Sawada hardly talks; he communicates through art. The sculptures have already fascinated many. His work was first exhibited in Europe during the ‘Art Brut Japonais’ exhibition in Paris (2008–2009). Sawada acquired even greater fame when he participated in the Venice Biennale (2013). The Museum van de Geest and Collection de l’Art Brut are among the museums whose collections include his works.
A video about Sawada working on one of his projects:
