Damina Gallery is thrilled to present a solo exhibition of artworks by Japanese artist Yuya Shibayama entitled Dreams, from 21st to 27th November 2015. To coincide with the showcase, the independent art gallery will also bring three sumo champions from Japan to Hong Kong for the first time ever. 1. Japanese art exhibition Dreams interweaves traditional and mythical Japan The stone artworks in Dreams have been created by Shibayama to help the viewer realise their own desires for the future and transform their vision of the world through art, as well as to deliver happiness that will transcend generations. Each piece is the result of a collaborative effort between a visionary stoneworker and an illumination artist. The union of these two masters’ fields of expertise brings each oeuvre to life and bestows a mystical sense of beauty and tranquillity upon the artworks. Shibayama’s artworks combine unwanted industrial materials with often-overlooked natural materials, such as rocks. Using only a hammer, he cuts fine stones from the rocks. These are then polished and carved into various shapes – again by hand – before being carefully assembled with the factory-made waste and applied to a canvas. Dreams were created to bring life to the stones once again by restoring their purpose. Shibayama transformed them into one of his masterpieces. Each composition in Dreams is entirely unique and has been handcrafted with all the skill of haute couture design, connecting different philosophies, and encouraging the audience to seek different interpretations under both natural and artificial light. 2. Artist Yuya Shibayama Born in Tokyo in 1981, Shibayama began creating artworks at the age of 16 and became a ranbari (mosaic) craftsman at the age of 20 after meeting a ranbari master. He was enchanted by the infinite possibilities that could be explored through this artistic method, and started to channel past challenges – including a health problem he battled in his youth – as a means of expression and source of strength. The job of ranbari craftsmen is not only to create for the sake of creation, but also to aesthetically articulate the concept of infinite possibilities of creation. There is something sublimely beautiful about seeing the bi-products of nature and industry come together and observing the way that discarded objects can return to the world with a completely new soul. All of his works have one common message, which is to be kind to nature and to bring the light and soul back to all materials on earth. “The road I have chosen as a ranbari artist has not only given me infinite possibilities of creation, but also a deep appreciation for the infinite possibility of beauty in all things.”