Artist Statement

Born in Izumo, Shimane, Daijiro Hama develops a distinctive painterly practice informed by interests in Izumo mythology and folk culture, while traversing influences ranging from global tribal cultures and vintage aesthetics to the expressive possibilities of sumi ink.
In 2005, he moved to Toronto, Canada, where he worked as a vintage dealer while participating in the film production collective “Exploding Motor Car,” contributing to costume and set design. After returning to Japan, he studied under sumi artist Reiko Yoshida in Kyoto and began his artistic practice in earnest. In 2018, he relocated to the Netherlands and, in 2026, re-established a base in Kyoto. He currently moves between Europe and Kyoto, presenting paintings and live performances internationally.
In recent years, Hama has explored the idea of “Muku” through painting. A Japanese term that cannot be translated directly, “Muku” evokes states of innocence, purity, and untouched presence. For Hama, it suggests a neutral and undifferentiated condition in which human sensibility, rawness, a connection to the contemporary world, and the presence of nature coexist.
Within his works, images of humans, figures, fungi, cells, and fragments of landscape intermingle, traversing boundaries between the organic and inorganic, humanity and anonymity, the micro and macro. Through these ambiguous states, he seeks to create a space onto which viewers may project their own sensations, memories, and inner worlds.
While his imagery often evokes the imaginary, it remains deeply connected to physical reality and the presence of the human body. Just as painting throughout history has visualised what people sought beyond themselves, Hama continues to engage with his work daily, giving visual form to the subtle sensations and unseen presences that reside within human experience.