©Jiro Kamata Studio, photo Ulrike Myrzik
Jiro Kamata (1978 –) is the grandson of a watchmaker who established his shop in 1929. Jiro’s father later took over the business and started over as a jeweler. Jiro, therefore, grew up with the experience of playing gems, while pondering on why people wear bling. Trained as a goldsmith later on, Jiro was not content with the idea that jewelry pieces are appraised based on how much the gemstone is worth but not the artistic meaning and impression they convey. Under the enlightenment of his mentor - Okinari Kurokawa (1946 –), Jiro visited Germany to start the journey of art learning that later became his life stories. Taught by Otto Künzli (1948 –), Jiro devoted himself to the creation of light and memory, building light structure and color spectrum of a new kind.
Jiro Kamata, known for his miniature optical sculptures in jewelry pieces and spatial installations, is experienced in using elements such as light and color refraction to create illusional viewing experiences. Jiro creates pieces in forms and shapes that remind people of black holes, galaxies, myths, and even ancient symbols. To this day, Jiro’s works are archived as permanent collections at over 20 museums, including the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City, the Swiss National Museum, Die Neue Sammlung in Germany, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.
｜Biography｜
1978 Born in Hirosaki, JAPAN - lives and works in Munich, GERMANY
1996-98 Yamanashi Institute of Gemology and Jewelry Art, Kofu, JAPAN
1998-99 Hochschule für Gestalltung Pforzheim with Prof. Rudolf Bott and Prof. Johanna Dahm, GERMANY
2000-06 Academy of Fine Arts Munich with Prof.Otto Künzli, GERMANY
2004-06 Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, GERMANY, and obtained a diploma.
2005 Studio in Munich
2009-15 Artistic assistant at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, department of jewelry, GERMANY
｜Selected Exhibition｜
2025 CELESTIAL EYES, ALIEN Art Centre, Kaohsiung, TAIWAN
2024 HOLOCULUS, Gallery Funaki, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
2022 THREE WORLDS, ATTA Gallery, Bangkok, THAILAND
2021 HOLON, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2021 HOPE, ALIEN Art Centre, with Caroline Halley, Kaohsiung, TAIWAN
2021 HOLON, galley deux poissons, Tokyo, JAPAN
2021 HOLON, ornamentum galley, Hudson/ NY, USA
2021 VOICES, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2020 VOICES, Bayerischer Kunstgewerbe Verein, Munich, Germany
2019 EXTENDED DEFINITION, Gallery Funaki, Melbourne, Australia
VOICES, ALIEN Art Centre, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
2018 BATTLE OF MAGENTA, With Noon Passama, super+ CENTERCOUT, Munich, Germany
EXPOSITION, Galerie Bijouterie Jungblut, Luxembourg
MOTHER, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2017 EMERGE, Galerie Beyond, Antwerp, Belgium
GHOST, Galerie Biró, Munich, Germany
GHOST, OONA Galerie, Berlin, Germany
MULTIPLE-SOLO, Multiple, Hasselt, Belgium
2016 FLARE, Collective Design Fair with Ornamentum gallery, New York City, USA
FLARE, ATTA gallery, Bangkok, Thailand
JIRO KAMATA, Four gallery, Gothenburg, Sweden
GHOST, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2016 FLARE, Collective Design Fair with Ornamentum gallery, New York City, USA
FLARE, ATTA gallery, Bangkok, Thailand
JIRO KAMATA, Four gallery, Gothenburg, Sweden
GHOST, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2015 DARK TO LIGHT TO DARK. Gallery Funaki, Melbourne, Australia
AROUND A ND AROUND. Villa Bengel, Idar-Oberstein, Germany
BORDER. Klimt02 gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2014 BI, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
BI, O-Jewel, Tokyo, Japan
2013 ARBORESQU, Galeria Nudo, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
BI, OONA Galerie, Berlin, Germany
2012 ARBORESQU, gallery vivekkevin, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
ARBORESQU, Gallery Pascale, Stockholm, Sweden
2011 ARBORESQU, SOFA New York by Ornamentum gallery, USA
ARBORESQU, galerie viceversa, Lausanne, Switzerland
ARBORESQU, O-Jewel, Tokyo, Japan
2010 MOMENTOPIA, Galería Mexicana de Diseño, Mexico City, Mexico
MOMENTOPIA, Galerie Bijouterie Jungblut, Luxembourg
ARBORESQU, Galerie Biró, Munich, Germany
2009 MOMENTOPIA, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ZEITFASSUNGEN. With Bettina Speckner, Eva Maisch Schmuck, Würzburg, Germany
MOMENTOPIA, Hnoss gallery, Gothenburg, Sweden
2008 MOMENTOPIA, Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany
MOMENTOPIA, Klimt02 gallery, Barcelona,Spain
MOMENTOPIA, OONA Galerie, Berlin, Germany
MOMENTOPIA, O-Jewel, Tokyo, Japan
FULL DUPLEX, With Stefan Heuser, Ornamentum gallery, Hudson, USA
THINGS OF VALUE, Harappa gallery, Hirosaki, Japan
2006 EXTROVERT, Diploma Exhibition. Academy of Fine Arts Munich, Germany
EXTROVERT, O-Jewel, Tokyo, Japan
2005 BLENDABLE, OONA Galerie, Berlin, Germany Dunstkreis #3: Cultural Supermarket With Akira Onishi, Pestalozzistraße 24, Munich, Germany
｜Awards｜
1998 Excellence Prize, Asahi Modern Craft Exhibition, JAPAN
2003 Jury Prize, Itami Internation Craft Exhibition, JAPAN
2006 City of Goldsmith Award, City of Hanau, GERMANY
2011 Förderpreis Award, City of Munich, GERMANY
2017 Bavarian Studio Grant Program for Artists, Munich, GERMANY
2019 Sponsorship Award from Prinzregent-Luotpold Stiftung, Munich, GERMANY
｜Museum Collection｜
Die Neue Sammlung—The Design Museum,Munich, GERMANY
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, GERMANY
Art+Plus Museum, Donaueschingen, GERMANY
Jakob Bengel-Stiftung, Idar-Oberstein, GERMANY
Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry, Tokyo, JAPAN
Swiss National Museum, Basel, SWITZERLAND
Espace Solidor Musée du Bijou, Cagnes-sur-Mer, FRANCE
Helen Drutt Gallery, Philadelphia, USA
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, USA
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, USA
Legnica Art Gallery, POLAND
Françoise van den Bosch Foundation, Amsterdam,
NETHERLANDS
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam,NETHERLANDS
ALIEN Art Centre, Kaohsiung, TAIWAN
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, GERMANY
Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA
Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, USA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Leipzig,GERMANY
Publication
2025.01.10-2026.01.11
2021.07.13 - 2022.03.27
2019.10.04-2020.08.27