Yasuo Nomura is a conceptual artist based in New York, born in Shimane, Japan.

Black and white portrait of Yasuo Nomura — Photo by Shotoku Koh

Through my artwork, I aim to build connections between the various tools we use to explore the existential questions that define us as human beings. Physics, psychoanalysis, and spirituality may seem like divergent fields, yet they share a common core question: What is our relationship to the universe and to one another, and how does our ability to perceive, reason, and question our experience shape what it means to be human?

I studied oil painting at Musashino Art University in Japan, where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in 2004. For the first decade of my career, I worked primarily in two-dimensional media, gradually developing an interest in how mathematics could inform artistic composition.
During my residency at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe in Japan in 2015, I began a series of scholarly and artistic investigations into what artwork and relativity might look like beyond three dimensions. The possibilities of relationships extending beyond three dimensions resonated deeply with me, connecting ideas from mathematics, physics, and the supernatural forces that make us uniquely human. How could I use geometric and physical concepts of higher dimensions to create art that encourages individuals to explore their own experiences, perceptions, and relationships in new ways?

These questions led to the creation of my DIMENSIONISM series and PION works. The sculptures, installations, and conceptual projects in this series invite reflection on what it means to connect with one another both physically and emotionally. Through reflective surfaces, symbolic elements, and the situational perception fostered by these works, viewers are encouraged to see themselves and others in new ways and to reconsider their relationships to the world and the universe.

The works in this series have taken various forms, including interactive mobile sculptures, large-scale environmental installations, and conceptual maps that trace the movement of art through space and time. Projects from this body of work have been exhibited in both solo and group shows in New York and Japan, and have been featured in installations on the International Space Station.
As I continue to develop these series, my goal remains to encourage individuals to move beyond the invisible forces and constructs that bind us—whether gravity, relativity, or human ego. Together, as humans, we inhabit a fascinating world and universe that we have the power to explore through science, art, and empathy. Relativity and relationality are central to my work: these are the forces that bring us together, both physically and metaphysically.

Timeline

1979: Born in Shimane, Japan
2004: B.A., Oil Painting Course, Musashino Art University

Solo Exhibition

2022: "Me to Me" hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO (Tokyo, Japan)
2020: ”Dimensionism 2.0 2.0” NOWHERE (New York, USA)
2017: “Dimensionism” hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO (Tokyo, Japan)
2016: “Here and There” hpgrp GALLERY New York (New York, USA)
2015: “Complex plane” HAGISO (Tokyo, Japan)
2015: “Topological Landscape” hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO (Tokyo, Japan)
2014: “Paradigm Equinox” Shinjuku Ophthalmologist Gallery (Tokyo, Japan)
2014: “Forest of Prime” momurag (Kyoto, Japan)
2014: “Re: Vitruvian Man” H.P.FRANCE WINDOW GALLERY (Tokyo, Japan)
2012: “ecosphere” IOSSELLIANI T-02-10S (Tokyo, Japan)
2012: “Social Eclipse” Shinjuku Ophthalmologist Gallery (Tokyo, Japan)
2011: “WASTE STYLE" mograg garage (Tokyo, Japan)
2008: “Story of the Pion/TIME" mograg garage (Tokyo, Japan)
2007: “Story of the Pion/1080 Kleshas” Tobo temple (Shimane, Japan)

Group Exhibition

2023: "Cosmic Energy: The Origins of the Universe" Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival vol.3 (Osaka,JAPAN)
2022: "HIRAKAWA Norimichi・NOMURA Yasuo Given Universe | Days of Wonder" Iwami Art Museum (Shimane, Japan)
2022: "2022 Annual Art Members Exhibition" J-Collabo (New York, USA)
2022: "Eight Japanese Artists" NOWHERE (New York, USA)
2020: ”Geometry×Art” Iwami Art Museum (Shimane, Japan)
2018: “Megane to tabisuru bijutsuten (To travel with glasses)” Aomori Museum of Art (Aomori, Japan), Iwami Art Museum (Shimane, Japan) , Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art (Shizuoka, Japan)
2018: “VOCA" The Ueno Royal Museum (Tokyo, Japan)
2018: “an attempt on the encountern between the Science and the Arts, 2018 Tokyo - an exhibition featuring artists participated in the Kavli IPMU Artists in Residence (AIR) program” KAMATA_SOKO (Tokyo, Japan)
2018: “Mr. | Prize Selection Exhibition” Tenjinyama Cultural Plaza (Okayama, Japan)
2015: “from 8 artists Selection/Collection” Gallery OUT of PLACE NARA (Nara, Japan)
2014: “Mangaro” Friche la Belle de Mai (Marseille, France)
2010: “ZERODATE" Onariza&Kyu-Bonjour (Akita, Japan)
2010: “ART BATTLE ROYALE" Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo (Tokyo, Japan)
2010: “Ku-chu GO" MAGIC ROOM?? (Tokyo, Japan)
2009: “SECRET PHANTOM 2" Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo (Tokyo, Japan)
2007: “Central East Tokyo 07" Agata Building (Tokyo, Japan)
2006: “EXPOSITIONa - MANDALA” La Petite Rockette (Paris, France)
2006: “l'art sans fin” Le CARROSE (Paris, France)
2005: “Happy New CARROSSE 2006" Le CARROSE (Paris, France)
2004: "DETEN" SPIRAL (Tokyo, Japan)

Grant

2021-2023: The Vilcek Foundation
2018: The Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs

Project

2024-: "Rashix.earth"
Project for co-creation of a new social model for living in harmony with the Earth（Palau）
2023: ”PION Plate and LoGlobe Tour"
A journey project in which the five elements are to experience each situation in artwork in outer space and on earth.
Collaboration with PION UNITED, Spacetainment Pte. Ltd., International Space Station(ISS), Beltran Lab at UCSC and more.
2022-23: "PION UNITED"
the crowdfunding campaign for the space art project.
2022: "AGxKANSAI 2022" presentation（Kyoto）
2019-: Research of Shusaku Arakawa + Madeline Gins（New York, Tokyo, etc.）
2018-19: ”MAS -Masuda Artist Support-”
Crowdfunding project by a volunteer group to support local artists
2017: Pentel「orenz nero」Appearance in web advertisements
2016: “Brain Science ∞ Art” and “Higher Dimensional Brain Conference”　RIKEN Brain Science Institute (Saitama)

Publication

2024: "anemone　Vol. July 2024"　Published Interviews
2023: "Art and Philosophy in the 22nd Century: After Arakawa and Madeline Gins" Contributed articles P.314-315
Contributed article P.314-315
2023: ”Japanese Psychological Review vol.66 No.1”
Special feature ”Art and Phycology” Joint author
2019: "NewQ : issue02 elegance" Published Interviews P.84-91
2015: "Kavli IPMU News vol.31" Contributed Columns

Artists in Residence

2022: J-Collabo (New York, USA)
2015: Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Chiba, Japan)

Public Collection

2023: Hokkaido Bunkyo University (Hokkaido, Japan)
donation by Takako Endo
2019: Iwami Art Museum (Shimane, Japan)
donation by MAS project
2015: Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Chiba, Japan)