1975年生まれ。一級石材施工技能士。18歳から石彫家、故加藤亮 氏に弟子入り。5年間の丁稚奉公の後、帰郷。伝統的な手彫りでの 石彫を基本に、石仏からモニュメントまで制作する傍ら、様々な展覧 会や芸術祭に作品を出品するなど、活動は多岐にわたる。 2005年、中之条の霊山嵩山（たけやま）にまつられた約300年前 の観音群を約2年間の歳月を要して修復した「平成の大修復」を行う。 2014年、群馬県石材組合創立50周年記念事業として群馬県庁前に 県のマスコット「ぐんまちゃん」の石像を制作。中之条ビエンナーレ 2015実行委員長。ブルースとお酒がお友達。石を彫る。自分を信じて、 その中に存在する点や線を追いかける。でも本当は素材がそれを選 ばせているのだと思います。
Born in 1975, Mitsuo Saiki is a Level 1 certified Stone Masonry Technician. After becoming a student of the now-deceased stone sculptor Ryo Kato at age 18 and serving five years as his apprentice, he returned to the Saiki family business. He uses traditional hand carving techniques to create works ranging from stone Buddhas to monuments, while also displaying his works at a variety of exhibitions and art festivals and engaging in a diverse range of professional activities. In 2005, he embarked on an ambitious two-year project to repair and restore the 300-year-old Kannon statues enshrined on Nakanojo town’s sacred mountain of Takeyama. In 2014, as part of a commemorative project celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Gunma Prefecture Stone Industry Association, he carved the stone statue of the Gunma prefectural mascot “Gunma-chan” that is displayed in front of the Gunma Prefectural Government Building. He served as the Executive Committee Chairman of the 2015 Nakanojo Biennale, and is known to spend his free time listening to blues with a drink in hand. “As a stone sculptor, I try to trust my instincts as I search for the points and lines that tell me how to shape an object. However, I have come to understand that it is not the sculptor who decides how to sculpt the stone, but the stone that decides how it will be sculpted.”
CV
2022 Jardin彫刻庭園 作品滞在制作 メキシコ ベラクルス州ハラパ市
2021 個展「石しか知らない」ビエントアートギャラリー 群馬県高崎市
2019 AWANO Art festival 公開制作 栃木県鹿沼市
2018 30spro チェンマイ国際彫刻シンポジウム タイ チェンマイ
2018 NWSSA石彫シンポジウム アメリカ オレゴン
2022 Jardin Sculpture Garden Installed works Mexico
2012 Solo exhibition 「knowing stone」
2019 AWANO Art Festival public production
2018 30Spro Chiang Mai International Sculpture Symposium Thailand
2018 NWSSA Suttle Lake Stone Carving Symposium USA
