Hiroshi Fuji

Hiroshi Fuji was born in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1960 and studied dyeing and weaving at Kyoto City University of Arts. For “Art Net Work ’83”, along with a work entitled “The Cat Who Can’t Communicate”, he installed a carp streamer in the Kamo River underneath the Sanjo Bridge as a public art display. In 1986, he moved to Papua New Guinea for 2 years as a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. He was moved by the underweight dogs he met there, prompting him to release works which used things which society deemed to be of little value and things of no significance as a medium. In 2000, he began the “Vinyl Plastics Connection”, which focused on materials such as vinyl and plastic, which are symbols of mass consumption. In the same year, he established a system wherein children could play a leading role in the operation thereof, starting with “kaekko [exchanging]”, a program where they exchange toys which are no longer needed. He has previously served as the director of the Towada Art Center and now teaches at Akita University of Art. In 2018, he established the NPO “Art Center Akita”, which is based at this university.