A Vocabulary of Woodcarving Centered on the “Gaze” – Daisuke Teshima’s Perspective at Soka Art Taipei

Soka Art is delighted to present Japanese artist Daisuke Teshima’s latest solo exhibition Perspective, on view from September 27 to November 1, 2025, at Soka Art Taipei. Rooted in the concept of the “gaze,” Teshima’s practice blends classical Japanese woodcarving and Buddhist sculptural techniques with polychrome and mixed-media expressions. His works draw inspiration from everyday encounters with people, objects, and events—fragments that overlap, merge, or drift apart until a moment of inspiration crystallizes them into tangible form. The exhibition invites viewers to explore these moments and share in the act of seeing the unknown.

Capturing Intangible Atmospheres in Carved Traces

Teshima’s creative process begins with a block of camphor wood or a mixed-media base. Every carved line and brushstroke left on the surface serves as testimony to both thought and emotion. Using colored pencils, acrylic paint, and delicate touches of gold or silver leaf, he imbues his sculptures with the refinement of Japanese aesthetics, while infusing humor and subtle philosophy into his characters. As the artist reflects: “I hope these traces can transform into forms that resonate with invisible atmospheres, intangible sensations, and subtle perceptions.”

His figures are at once warm and approachable, yet their calm, unflinching gazes mirror the many facets of contemporary life—urban noise, fleeting solitude, and hidden inner landscapes. Whether quietly meditative or humorously “facing the wall in reflection,” these sculptures become vessels for projection, opening silent but profound dialogues with the viewer.

About the Artist: From Fukuoka to the World

Born in Fukuoka in 1977, Daisuke Teshima earned his M.F.A. in Sculpture from Tokyo Zokei University in 2002, studying under the modern Japanese master Churyo Sato. Working primarily with camphor wood, he enhances his pieces with colored pencils, acrylic, and gold leaf, embodying the purity and delicacy of Japanese aesthetics.

Teshima’s works have been exhibited in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Paris, and Taiwan, and are included in the collection of the Japan Modern Art Promotion Foundation as well as numerous private collections. With humor and quiet contemplation, his figures gaze upon the world, serving as mirrors in which viewers may project their own emotions.

Reflecting Society and Humanity Through Gaze and Posture

In Perspective, Teshima extends the theme of the gaze into reflections on daily life, history, and society. His works may appear still and silent, yet through their posture and symbolism they invite viewers to reconsider their relationship with the world.

In Three Apples, the artist references the “three apples that changed the world”—the forbidden fruit of Adam and Eve, Newton’s discovery, and the emblem of modern technology, Apple. Brought together in a single work, these symbols carry both humor and depth, reminding us that desire, knowledge, and technology have always been intertwined with human civilization.

The Make it flat series depicts figures collapsed in exaggerated, flattened poses—exhausted, sprawled, unwilling to move. Both comical and familiar, these sculptures capture the fatigue of contemporary society and the universal impulse to “lie flat.” Through the solidity of wood and the levity of form, Teshima transforms this shared emotion into sculpture, allowing viewers to recognize themselves in the humor.

Finally, the figures’ wide-open, expressionless eyes—at once detached, defiant, and observant—embody the essence of Perspective. These gazes both scrutinize the world and reflect the gaze of the viewer, creating a dual relationship of “looking and being looked at.” Within the exhibition space, this silent exchange of eyes becomes the most powerful dialogue of all.