Ataru SATO attempts to understand himself, humanity, and the world around him through the act of drawing or painting. Expressing themes such as obsession, fear, and romance through fine – perhaps excessively fine – pencil lines and distinctive brushwork, Sato emphasizes that his works are created for himself. He sees art as being created by people who are alive to express their lived experiences and has no aspiration to create art for art’s sake, art that is novel, or art that seeks to be meaningful. SATO’s images continually propagate, driven by his need to comprehend the indiscernible aspects of life. Born from a core of personal questions, his work is characterized by a powerful energy that penetrates deeply, leaving a lasting impression on its viewers.

Ataru SATO was born in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in 1986 and is currently based in Tokyo. In 2009, he graduated from the Advanced Art Course in the Department of Information Design, Faculty of Arts and Design at Kyoto University of Arts and Design. The artist’s major group exhibitions include “10000 Lives: The 8th Gwangju Biennale” (2010), “Yokohama Triennale 2011: OUR MAGIC HOUR – How Much of the World Can We Know?” (2011), “Inside” (Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2014), and “Dojima River Biennale 2019” (Osaka, 2019). Sato’s works have been acquired by the Takahashi Ryutaro Collection, the Miyanomori International Museum of Art, the Spencer Museum of Art, as well as by Louis Vuitton Malletier. A comprehensive catalog of his works, “Super Sensitive” was published by TOPSAFE in 2022.