瀬戸優
Yu SETO
Born in Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan, in 1994.
▌學歷 Education
2018 東京藝術大学美術学部彫刻科 畢業
2018 B.F.A. in Sculpture, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan
▌創作自述 Artist Statement
瀨戶優使用上色的赤陶（未上釉的陶土）創作實物大小的雕塑作品，以貓頭鷹、獅子和大猩猩等野生動物為題材。與其追求精緻的現實感，他更傾向於留下手工痕跡和顏色的不均勻，利用這些觸感來表現生命的力量與躍動感。此外，他還使用玻璃製的眼珠來再現真實動物的眼光。他運用鎌倉時代的玉眼技法，製造充滿故事性的神秘眼眸，加上仿如速寫般具有速度感的描繪質地，讓動物雕刻更加活現靈動。
瀨戶選擇野生動物為主題，與他經常被祖父帶著上山的經歷，以及因此萌生的對“循環”的意識有關。瀨戶回憶說，童年時親眼見到生活在野外、屬於瀕危物種和天然紀念物的羚羊，這經歷讓他開始意識到食物鏈和光合作用帶來的生命“循環”。如今，作為一名藝術家，他仍然選擇野生動物作為循環的象徵和創作的主題。
Yu Seto creates life-sized sculptures of wild animals, including owls, lions, and gorillas, using painted terracotta (unglazed clay). Rather than pursuing meticulous realism, he deliberately preserves the traces of handcraftsmanship and the unevenness of painted surfaces, allowing these tactile qualities to convey a vivid sense of vitality and movement. He further enhances the lifelike presence of his sculptures by incorporating glass eyes that faithfully recreate the gaze of real animals. Drawing inspiration from the gyokugan (crystal eye) technique developed during Japan’s Kamakura period, Seto creates expressive, enigmatic eyes that suggest a sense of narrative, while his sketch-like, dynamic surface treatment imbues each sculpture with remarkable energy and animation.
Seto’s choice of wild animals as his primary subject is closely connected to his childhood experiences of exploring the mountains with his grandfather, where he first developed an awareness of the cycles of nature. He recalls encountering Japanese serows—protected species designated as Special Natural Monuments in Japan—in their natural habitat, an experience that led him to contemplate the interconnected cycles of life sustained by food chains and photosynthesis. Today, as an artist, Seto continues to use wild animals as symbols of these natural cycles, exploring the interdependence and continuity that connect all living beings.
▌精選個展 Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024 The Sun Shines Even at Night, Hankyu Umeda Main Store, Osaka, Japan
2024 HOWL, Ginza Tsutaya Books, Tokyo, Japan
2023 FEEL FOR AWAY, YEN Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2023 AGING GRAVITY, IDÉE TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan
2023 Drawing Relief, Shikisaisha Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2023 Yu Seto × Ayualam, Ayualam GRACE, Japan
2022 Flyer’s High, sequence MIYASHITA PARK, Tokyo, Japan
2022 Rhythm (duo exhibition with Yuta Okuda), Shikisaisha Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2022 GRASP, FBI Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2022 Yu Seto × LOUANGE TOKYO – Le Musée, Tokyo, Japan
2021 MOVEMENT, Artglorieux, GINZA SIX, Tokyo, Japan
2021 PROGRESS – Publication Exhibition
2020 Mother Star
2019 Water Source, ART FAIR TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Drawing Exhibition, Shikisaisha Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2018 Knowing the Moon, Shikisaisha Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
▌精選聯展 Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Vision of Warmth Ceramic Art Group Exhibition, Neptune Gallery, Tainan, Taiwan
2024 Group Exhibition Part.2, Empathy Gallery, Japan
2024 Joint Exhibition with Shikisaisha Gallery, Jing Yi Yuan Hui, Beijing, China
2024 ART SESSION – New Year Party, Ginza Tsutaya Books, Tokyo, Japan
2023 New Wave, Shikisaisha Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2023 Tokyo Contemporary Kyobashi, BAG-Brillia Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2023 ART SESSION, Ginza Tsutaya Books, Tokyo, Japan
2023 Signs of a New Culture Vol.17, Artglorieux Gallery of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2023 Board Game Exhibition, Danxiangjie Bookstore, Tokyo, Japan
2022 F/ART, Hotel SUI, Tokyo, Japan
2022 Animare (duo exhibition with Isana Yamada), Artglorieux, GINZA SIX, Tokyo, Japan
2022 ARToVILLA MARKET
2022 Owls
2021 Life in Art Exhibition, MUJI Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
2021 Living Creatures Exhibition, FEI ART MUSEUM, Yokohama, Japan
2021 LIVE, RIVER SIDE CLUB, Tokyo, Japan
2021 Illustrated Encyclopedia Exhibition, Geidai Art Plaza, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan
2021 Blue Period × ArtSticker, hotel koe tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2021 Diversity, WHAT CAFE, Tokyo, Japan
2021 Art in Tokyo YNK, Tokyo Square Garden, Tokyo, Japan
2020 Tokyo University of the Arts Graduation Exhibition, University Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2020 Victory Bouquet Exhibition, Tokyo Kudan Yoko Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2020 Raw Objects, Tokyo Fuji University, Tokyo, Japan
2020 Animals 2020
2019 Sculpture Animal Park, Nihombashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Animals 2019, Shikisaisha Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Cat Pawnshop, Maruhi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Be My Object, GINZA SIX, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Be My Object Vol.2, Matsuzakaya Nagoya, Nagoya, Japan
2019 Ceramic Sculpture, Bunkamura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Hokkaido Cat Stories, Daimaru Sapporo, Sapporo, Japan
2019 Tre Mainai, Gallery Seihō, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Owls Origin, Shikisaisha Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Year of the Rat Exhibition, Maruhi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2018 The Power of Art Petit!, Isetan Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
2018 Appare! Art Parade, Matsuzakaya Nagoya, Nagoya, Japan
2018 New Star Art Collection, Matsuzakaya Nagoya, Nagoya, Japan
2018 Tokyo University of the Arts Graduation Exhibition, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2018 Break Before Dawn Exhibition, Bunkamura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2018 Be My Object Vol.1, Matsuzakaya Nagoya, Nagoya, Japan
2018 Mero Mero Animal Exhibition, Bunkamura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2018 Animals 2018, Shikisaisha Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
▌藝博會 Art Fairs
2024 ART TAINAN, Tainan,Taiwan
2024 ONE ART Taipei,Taipei, Taiwan
2023 ONE ART Taipei,Taipei, Taiwan
2023 ART FAIR TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan
2022 ONE ART Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
2022 D-art, ART, Daimaru Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
2022 ART FAIR ASIA FUKUOKA, Fukuoka, Japan
2019 ART TAIPEI, Taipei, Taiwan
