Hiroko Kubo

Hiroko Kubo is a Japanese sculptor and artist based in Hiroshima. Kubo's artistic philosophy is deeply rooted in a reverence for prehistoric and ethnic art. Kubo sees in these ancient artistic expressions a reflection of both the diversity and universality of human creativity. Through her large-scale, site-specific sculptures crafted from everyday construction materials like blue poly tarps, steel, and concrete, Kubo seeks to explore the commonalities and differences in human creative expression across time and cultures.

In her artist statement for the exhibition titled Steel Framed Goddess, Kubo reflects on the Noto Peninsula earthquake of New Year's Day 2024 in Japan, which served as a poignant reminder of the fragility of both human civilization and the human body. In a similar publication Kubo states, "Sculptures, like people, have volume, exist in the same physical space, and will weather and break down under the same physical conditions. This ephemerality and fragility is what I love about sculptures. At the same time, the fact that it has survived in the world for tens or hundreds of thousands of years by the will of our ancestors (sometimes by accident) shows the strength in this form and is one of the driving forces behind my continued work in sculpture”.