​RUNA KOSOGAWA

Bio

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KOSOGAWA  Runa is a Japanese artist and educator. She is active in beyond the boundaries of crafts and contemporary art and mainly using glass.

She addresses glass as “a material in which time is locked up forever,” recognizing that aging objects and fragile, likely to vanish objects also contain beauty.

From her "Flower Diary" series, expressed in thinly ground glass petals, she shifted, following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and moving to Hida-Takayama in 2012, to her "Profound Silence" series. In that series, she examines life, with questions arising from social problems, her questions entrusted to flowers that signify the repose of a soul.

In recent years, she has been engaged in her Weaving a Life series, in which she blows glass bubbles daily to record traces of her life, and her Weaving Landscapes series, in which she captures scenes from near her home in glass.

She graduated with a BA from Musashino Art University in 2002 and from Toyama Institute of Glass Art, the Advanced Research Studies Program in 2008 in Japan. She studied abroad at The Australian National University as an exchange student in 2007.

She worked as an artisan (blown glass) at Sugahara Glassworks Inc. from 2004 to 2006 and taught glass and contemporary art at Nagoya University of the Arts from 2019 to 2023 (March) in Japan. And then she teaches glass at Toyama Institute of Glass Art from 2023 in Japan.

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She established a glass studio with her husband (Yoshiaki KOJIRO https://www.yoshiaki-kojiro.com/) in Hida-Takayama in 2012 and is a recognized artist with collections in several museums, hotels and airport worldwide. She has been invited to exhibitions, Frauenau Glass Museum, Lette Glass Museum in Germany, Museo Dei Fori Imperiali in Italy, Toyama Glass Art Museum and 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in Japan.

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CV

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1978    Born in Aichi , Japan

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Education

2008     Completed the Advanced Research Studies Program, Toyama Institute of Glass Art

2007     Exchange Student, Canberra School of Art, The Australian National University                         

2006     Completed the Glass Certification Studies Program,Toyama Institute of Glass Art 

2002     B.A., with Best Honors, Craft and Industrial Design department,  Musashino Art University

Experience

2002-2004     Sugahara Glassworks Inc. ( designer and craftsman)

2020               Lecturer, Nagaoka Institute of Design, Niigata, Japan

2019-2023.3   Part-time Lecturer, Nagoya University of the Arts, Aichi, Japan

2023.4-           Part-time Lecturer, Toyama Institute of Glass Art

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Grant

The Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kobo from 2008 to 2011

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Major Solo Exhibitions

2023    SYP Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2021　 Nihonbashi Takashimaya Art Craft Salon, Tokyo, Japan

2020　KOSOGAWA Runa Online Pop-up-show, Keiko Art International's website

2019　 Hana asagi, Tokyo, Japan

2018　 Nihonbashi Takashimaya Art Craft Salon, Tokyo, Japan

​2017　 tmh.&L'INTERIEUR, Tokyo, Japan

2015     Gallery TEN, Ishikawa, Japan ('13,'10)

2013     Ninonbashii Takashimaya, Tokyo, Japan

             Gallery ginza ARTONE, Tokyo, Japan

2011　  KEIKO Gallery, Boston, MA, USA

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Awards

2022   Honorable Mention, The International Exhibition of Glass Kanazawa 2022, Japan

2018    Second Prize, Art Fair Toyama 2018 Art Awards, Japan

2010    Grand Prize,Kanayamachi Rakuichi, Japan

　　　 Best of Category-Sculpture,  -5thTAGBOATAWARD,Tokyo, Japan

2007    Excellent Prize,Glass Craft Triennial 2007, Japan

             Merit Prize,Toyama City Art Competition 2007, Japan

             Third Prize ,Ecchu Art Festival, Japan

2002    Grand Prize, Musashino Art University, graduation works, Japan

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Public Collections

Glass Museum Lette, Germany ('18)

The Australian National University, Australia ('07)

Toyama Glass Art Museum,Toyama, Japan ('20, '15)

Kanazawa Utatsuyama Craft Workshop,Ishikawa, Japan ('08)

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Commission Works

ANA Suite Lounge, Haneda Airport International Terminal, Japan(‘20)

THE RITZ-CARLTON Nanjing, China(‘20)

Hotel Royal Classic OSAKA, Japan(‘19)

Ta-Ke Japanese Restaurant , Hong Kong(‘18)

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Professional Engagement

2023   Crit, Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kobo, Ishikawa, Japan   

            Crit, , Toyama Institute of Glass Art, Toyama, Japan

2021    Lecture, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

2020   Lecture, Nagaoka Institute of Design, Niigata, Japan

2019    Lecture and Crit, Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kobo, Ishikawa, Japan    

            Lecture/ Demonstration, Nagoya University of the Arts, Aichi, Japan

2016    Lecture, Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kobo, Ishikawa, Japan

2015    Artist Talk, Kurobe City Museum, Toyama, Japan

2014    Lecture, Toyama Institute of Glass Art, Toyama, Japan

2013    Artist Talk,the Seto Ceramic and Glass Art Center, Aichi, Japan

2012   Symposium Guest, Japanese Contemporary Glass Exhibition,  Tokyo, Japan

2011    KUMA Kengo's Symposium Guest, Istituto Giapponese di Cultura (Institute of Japanese Culture), Roma, Italy

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Collaboration products

2023  R.ALAGAN 2023 Spring & Summer collection, collaboration jewelry

2013-2014　I designed the new incense and the package design with the incense shop ”lisn” (Kyoto and Tokyo,JAPAN).

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Major Selected Group Exhibitions

2023    “R.ALAGAN 2023 Spring & Summer collection”, collaboration jewelry : R.ALAGAN × Runa, ROKU SHIBUYA CAT STREET(Tokyo), ROKU OSAKA(osaka)

2022   “The International Exhibition of Glass Kanazawa 2022”, Notojima Glass Museum etc., Ishikawa, Japan

　　     “The 10th International Art Festival BIWAKO BIENNALE”, Shiga, Japan ('20 ,‘18)

　　　  Two-Person Exhibition: “KOSOGAWA Runa and TAKUBO Kyoji”, Gallery Hana asagi, Tokyo

             “Collection Exhibition Glass Art: Flora Times Three”, Toyama Glass Art Museum, Toyama, Japan
             “GO FOR KOGEI 2022”, Shokoji Temple, Takaoka, Toyama, Japan

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2021　Ueno Artist Project 2021: "Everyday Life I am Reborn", Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

　　　"Thirty Years of Toyama Institute of Glass Art Forms the Future, Toyama Glass Art Museum, Toyama, Japan

            "Contemporary Japanese Glass", ESH Gallery, Milan, Italy

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2020   "Microcosmos", Toyama Glass Art Museum, Toyama, Japan
            "Fujinoyama Biennale Art Festival", Shizuoka, Japan
 

2019   "NEW ACQUISITIONS 2018", Glass Museum Lette, Germany

           "Toyama Art and Glass Exhibition in Singapore  -The Spirit of TOYAMA Glass",Japan Creative Centre (JCC) Embassy of JAPAN, Singapore 

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2018　"Japanisches Glas heute-kokoro-",Glasmuseum Lette, Germany

　　　"Glass Botanical Garden", Notojima Glass Art Museum,  Ishikawa, Japan

            "Abu Dhabi Exhibition", UAE, United Arab Emirates

            "ART CRAFTING TOWARDS THE FUTURE ANOTHER VOLUME", GINZA WAKO, Tokyo, Japan

2017　"Japanisches Glas heute-kokoro", Glasmuseum Frauenau, Germany

　　　"The International Hokuriku Kogei Summit",  Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design

2016    "felling in glass", Toyama Glass Art Museum, Toyama, Japan

2015   "Koisuru Kogei", Kurobe City Museum, Toyama, Japan

 　　   "Nature Creations –Flower-",aoyama Spiral, Tokyo, Japan

2014    "BI no Yokan" ,Takashimaya Art Gallery, Nihonbashi,Shinjuku,Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Japan

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2013    "KOSOGAWA Runa x YAMADA Teruo Exhibition", the Seto Ceramic and Glass Art Center, Aichi, Japan

             "From the Kiln", AOYAMA SPIRAL,Tokyo, Japan

2011     “La Luce” curator by Junji Ito , Museo Dei Fori Imperiali, Itly

　　　   ( -- KUMA Kengo, IMAIZUMI Imaemon, NAKAMURA Shinkyou and KOSOGAWA Runa )

            "Maison&Objet -Talents a le Carte”,  Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, France

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2010    " Kanazawa Kogei Triennial", curator Ito Junji  ,the 21th century Art Museum, Ishikawa, Japan

Major Art Fairs

2022   “collect”, London, UK

             "Tobi Art Fair", Tokyo Bijyutsu Club, Tokyo, Japan ('18)

2021　“ART FAIR TOKYO “ Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo ( ‘19, ‘15),

2020   “ART FAIR PHILIPPINES" , Manila, Philippines (‘19)

2017    “DAEGU ART FAIR”, Daegu EXPO, Korea

2015　” ART FAIR TOKYO” /Takashimaya Art Gallery X,  International Forum, Tokyo