Hiroshi Sato was born in Gamagori, Japan. From the age of three to fourteen Hiroshi Sato lived in Tanzania, East Africa. During this period his world could be separated into three places. The first was the inside of the house; filled with stories of his parents, books, and movies. The second, was the outside world of an alternate culture and landscape. The third was the place his culture was supposed to be, Japan. The third was a place that existed as a pseudo fictional place in his head, only confirmed to be real by brief visits to Japan once a year.

Hiroshi Sato returned to Japan for high school, rearranging the three places around; the pseudo fiction becoming the real and the real becoming memory. Due to these turns of events, he would not fail to notice the only thing that stayed the same; the distance and interaction between our mind interfacing with the external world. 

He is interested in creating work that frame the moments of our life in which this idea reveals itself to ourselves. 

The works are constructed in a way to echo that fact by using western painting (Richard Diebenkorn, Chuck Close, Edward Hopper, Matisse, Euan Uglow) methods, theories, and Japanese painting (Ito Shinsui, Hashimoto Kansetsu, Tsuchida Bakusen) compositional philosophies. The artwork is neither attempting to fully adhere or reject either, this is done to reflect the experience of continually being exposed to separate but parallel aesthetic tastes due to how and where he grew up. It is impossible for him to measure the difference in his personal preference for either philosophies of picture making.
 
Hiroshi Sato’s work has been featured in various publications such as Fine Art Connoisseur, Juxtapoz Magazine, Visual Art Source and Art Business News Magazine.

Born Japan 1987

Education
2015 Academy of Art University, MFA Painting
2012 Academy of Art University, BFA Painting
2006 Atlanta College of Art, Foundations


Awards and Honors
2020 Martin Shallenberger Artist in Residence, Cheekwood Museum, Nashville Tennessee
2018 Delusional Art Competition Finalist
2017 Rise Art Prize Finalist
2017 The 19th Annual International Portrait Competition, Portrait Society of America, Certificate of Excellence award 
2016 The Artist’s Magazine Annual Art Competition Finalist, Portraits and Figures, “Haircut type 1” 
2014 The Artist’s Magazine Annual Art Competition Finalist, Portraits and Figures, “Changing Tide”
2014 The Artist’s Magazine Annual Art Competition Finalist, Portraits and Figures, “Sun”
2014 International Artist Magazine People and Figures Finalist, “Closet”
2012 Academy of Art, Spring Show Figurative 2nd place

Museum Exhibition
2020 Martin Shallenberger Artist in Residence Solo Exhibition, Cheekwood Museum, Nashville Tennessee, 

Solo Exhibition 
2024 “Midwest”, Aben Gallerry, Denver, Colorado

2023 “The Water Series”, Harris Harvey Gallery, Seattle, Washington

2023 “Transvaluation”, Marrow Gallery, San Francisco, California

2022 “Format”, Marrow Gallery, San Francisco, California

2022 ”In the Distance”, Harris Harvey Gallery, Seattle, Washington

2021 “Running in the 90’s”, Marrow Gallery, San Francisco, California

2021 “Outview” Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado

2020 “2020”, Marrow Gallery, San Francisco, California

2020 “Flatness and form”, Two person show, Harris Harvey Gallery, Seattle, Washington​

2019 “Digital Homunculus”, Marrow Gallery, San Francisco, California
2017 "Fan Fiction", Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
​2014 “Windows and Doors”, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California
2013 “From Dissonance”, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California
2012 “New Works”, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California


Group Exhibitions

2019 “The Land”, Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2019 “”Figurative vs Abstract” Salt Fine Art, Laguna Beach, California
2019 “artMRKT”, artMRKT, Fort Mason, San Francisco, California
2019 “The Space Between”, Marrow Gallery, San Francisco, California
2018 “Mini Show”, Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2018 "Delusional Art Competition Group Exhibition", Jonathan Levine Projects, Jersey City, New Jersey 
2018 “5X5”, Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2016 “Edge of Realism”, Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2016 "First Street Gallery's MFA National Art Competition Group Show", First Street Gallery, New York, City, New York
2016 “Landscape Group Show”, Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2016 “Contemporary Figuration”, Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2016 “artMRKT”, artMRKT, Fort Mason, San Francisco, California
2015 “Summer Group Show”, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California
2015 “Academy of Art University Spring Show Exhibition”, San Francisco, California
2015 “artMRKT”, artMRKT, Fort Mason, San Francisco, California
2014 “Art Silicon Valley”, San Mateo Event Center, San Mateo, San Francisco, California
2014 “artMRKT”, artMRKT, Fort Mason, San Francisco, California
2014 “Moving Exhibition” Group Exhibiton, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California
2013 “Help to Build a School in Myanmar Charity Auction by Lumas”, Artnet Auctions
2013 “Academy of Art University Spring Show Exhibition”, San Francisco, California
2013 “artMRKT”, artMRKT, Fort Mason, San Francisco, California
2013 ”20th Anniversary Exhibition”, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California
2013 “Nudes”, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California
2012 “Outliers”, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California
2011 “Outliers”, San Francisco Design Center, San Francisco, California
2011 “Small Works”, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California
2011 “Benefit Silent Auction”, STUDIO Gallery, San Francisco, California
2011 “Academy of Art University Spring Show Exhibition”, San Francisco, California

 
Select Press
Creative Boom Magazine, July 2018
Kunstenaar Magazine Feature, Number 49, December 2017
The Artist’s Magazine, Competition Spotlight, November 2017
The American Scholar Magazine, Portrait of the Artist, June 2017
Visual Art Source, Review by DeWitt Cheng, November 2014
Juxtapoz Magazine, November 2014
The Artist’s Magazine, Annual Art Competition, December 2014
International Artist Magazine, Challenge #82, People and Figures, #98 August/September issue, 2014
Fine Art Connoisseur feature article in Fine Art Today Newsletter “Hiroshi Sato: Painting and Optics” July 2013
Art Business News Magazine, Top 30 artist under 30, Fall 2013
Southwest Art Magazine, 21 under 31. September 2011.
 
Online Press

Creative Boom

https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/hiroshi-satos-latest-paintings-show-a-quieter-san-francisco/

Creative Boom
https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/hiroshi-satos-geometric-paintings-that-look-as-though-they-have-been-folded/

Rise Art Painting Perception
https://www.riseart.com/article/2018-02-01-artist-interviews-painting-and-perception-with-hiroshi-sato

The Art Shelf
http://www.theartsshelf.com/2017/12/12/rise-art-announces-shortlist-for-its-10000-global-art-prize/

Rise Art Prize finalists
https://www.riseartprize.com/finalists/
Kunstenaar Magazine
www.kunstenaar.nl/inhoud-nummer-49
Design is kinky
http://designiskinky.net
BOOOOOOM
https://www.booooooom.com/2017/11/28/artist-spotlight-hiroshi-sato/
The Silverlake Voice
http://www.silverlakevoice.com/interview/hiroshi-sato-exploring-inner-reality/
The American Scholar Magazine, 2017
theamericanscholar.org/hiroshi-sato/
Juxtapoz Magazine, November 2014
http://www.juxtapoz.com/current/hiroshi-sato-windows-and-doors-hespe-gallery-sf
Visual Art Source, November 2014 
Review by DeWitt Cheng
http://www.visualartsource.com/index.php?page=editorial&pcID=17&aID=2520
Art Business by Alan Bamberger, November 2014
http://www.artbusiness.com/1open/110614.html
Art Business News, October 2013
http://artbusinessnews.com/2013/10/hiroshi-satos-underneath/
You Called It, September 2013
https://youcalledit.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/hiroshi-sato
Fine Art Connoisseur, July 2013
Painting and Optics write up by Jeffrey Carlson
http://www.fineartconnoisseur.com/Hiroshi-Sato--Painting-and-Optics/16899429
Art Business by Alan Bamberger, August 2013
http://www.artbusiness.com/1open/080113.html
SF Art Enthusiast, April 2013
http://sfartenthusiast.com/2013/04/photo-feature-hespe-gallerys-20th-anniversary-exhibition/
Art Business by Alan Bamberger, June 2012
http://www.artbusiness.com/1open/060712.html