Yuichi Hirako was born in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, in 1982. He graduated from Wimbledon College of Art, UK, in 2006. He currently works and lives in Tokyo, Japan.Yuichi’s art centers on the coexistence of humans and nature, with each painting posing a "question" about nature. His oil paintings depict annual rings, symbolizing the forest’s significance in Japanese history and spirituality, reflecting the belief that all things are spiritual. His works are brightly colored, delicately composed with unconventional lines and colors, resembling elaborate stage settings. Inspired by his studies in the UK, particularly the contrast between London’s “artificial natural environments” and the “nature-made natural environment” of his childhood in Okayama, Yuichi fuses these ideas in his works. Dense foliage, curved branches, and colorful flowers mingle with man-made objects like books, vases, and musical instruments, exploring the blurred relationship between humans and plants in the modern city.
Over the years, Yuichi Hirako has held numerous solo exhibitions at prominent
museums and galleries, highlighting his work’s international influence. Recent
solo exhibitions include Number of Trees at The Modern Institute,
Glasgow (2025); Beyond the Ideal Landscape at Keelung Art Museum,
Keelung (2025); Ideal Landscape at the Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum,
Okayama (2024); Harmony with Nature at Kasai Rinkai Park, Tokyo (2024); New
Home at Gallery Baton, Seoul (2024); Frieze Sculpture at Regent's
Park, London (2023); The Nature at The Modern Institute, Aird's Lane
Bricks Space, Glasgow (2023); Inheritance, Metamorphosis, Rebirth at
Nerima Art Museum, Tokyo (2022); Fallen Leaves at BACK_Y, Taipei (2022);
Mount Mariana at Gallery Baton, Seoul (2021); Growth Rings at
Warehouse Gallery, Hong Kong (2020); Dandelion at Zerp Galerie,
Rotterdam (2019); and BLOOM at YIRI ARTS, Taipei (2018).
His work has also been featured in group exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as The Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art (2025), The Nerima Art Museum (2022), Shanghai Powerlong Museum (2021), the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (2021, 2010), Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo (2013), and the Gunma Museum of Modern Art (2010).
Hirako’s works are held in significant collections worldwide, including the Lisser Art Museum and the AkzoNobel Art Foundation in the Netherlands, the Jean Pigozzi Collection in Switzerland, Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company in Japan, and institutions in China such as Long Museum, Powerlong Museum, TANK Shanghai, and Modern Media Group. His work is also part of collections at U.PINEMED and Kolon Culture Space K in South Korea.