Biography
Masayuki Tsubota is a contemporary Japanese artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, and drawing, creating vibrant compositions that oscillate between density and playfulness. Born in 1976 in Osaka, Tsubota grew up in an environment naturally steeped in art and crafts — his father, the printmaker Masahiko Tsubota, and a relative who was a furniture craftsperson provided an early artistic formation that shaped his sensibility.
Tsubota's work involves a diverse range of materials including gesso, mineral pigments, glue, acrylic, and tin foil on basswood, producing pieces that combine the tactile richness of craft traditions with the spatial ambition of contemporary abstraction. His compositions are characterized by vibrant colors, textures, and radiant movements built upon solid structural foundations. The works form images that change flexibly according to the viewer's perspective, stirring up the surrounding space.
While Tsubota is primarily known as a painter and sculptor rather than a printmaker in the traditional sense, his practice reflects the same concern with surface, material, and process that animates contemporary Japanese printmaking. His work has been featured in significant exhibitions including solo shows such as 'Unknown Memories' at Whitestone Gallery in 2024 and group exhibitions including 'Serenity' at Whitestone Gallery in 2025.
Tsubota is represented by Whitestone Gallery and has exhibited internationally. His work represents a contemporary extension of the Japanese tradition of material-focused art-making, connecting the craft heritage of his family to contemporary fine art practice.
Key Facts
- Active Period
- 1976
- Nationality
- 🇯🇵Japan
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Works Indexed
- 26
Frequently Asked Questions
Masayuki Tsubota is a contemporary Japanese artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, and drawing, creating vibrant compositions that oscillate between density and playfulness. Born in 1976 in Osaka, Tsubota grew up in an environment naturally steeped in art and crafts — his father, the printmaker Masahiko Tsubota, and a relative who was a furniture craftsperson provided an early artistic formation that shaped his sensibility.
Masayuki Tsubota was active born in 1976. They were associated with the Contemporary Mokuhanga movement.
Masayuki Tsubota's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Masayuki Tsubota is a contemporary printmaker contributing to the ongoing tradition of woodblock printing. Contemporary prints offer collectors an affordable entry point into Japanese printmaking. Prices range from $100 for smaller works to $1,500 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $200–$600 range. The contemporary printmaking scene is active and international, with artists exhibiting at galleries, art fairs, and print biennials worldwide.