Horitani Shoichi 堀谷 昇市

Horitani Shoichi is a contemporary artist whose work centers on animals as embodiments of nature’s constant transformation. Through close observation and material sensitivity, he explores the fleeting moments in which form, surface, and life force intersect.

Animals, for Horitani, encompass countless species and individuals, each defined by unique colors, shapes, textures, and compositions that are continuously changing. Every moment is transient, immediately replaced by the next, and it is these ephemeral states that form the foundation of his practice.

He is particularly captivated by the surfaces of animal bodies, which he perceives as living landscapes shaped by their environment. Irregular patterns, muscular contours, skeletal structures, scars, and even the insects that gather around them reveal not only visual beauty but also the immense vitality of the natural world. Rather than focusing solely on surface texture, Horitani seeks to capture and convey the inherent beauty, presence, and life force of animals in a specific moment in time.

He also participated in the exhibition "IBUKI" Digital Catalog