Back-to-Back
Yusuke Asai
Media: iron plate, expanded metal, mortar, and ceramic tiles
Ceramic figures of a human and an animal stick to each other back-to-back as a single piece on a base clad with ceramic tiles. Some pieces are made from clay taken from the soil of Tsuneishi. So many kinds of tiles are used so that it’s impossible to see all of them at once. In addition to plain and patterned designs, there are tiles with drawings of people, animals, and plants. Various combinations of them will prompt you to imagine all sorts of stories.
Discover and enjoy little stories that emerge and fade away, as if sprouting from each individual tile.
アートのひみつ！
This tower with a human and wolf standing back-to-back is covered by handmade tiles. The traffic mirror gives a glimpse into a mysterious world. How did the artist create them?
アーティスト紹介
Yusuke Asai
Yusuke Asai was born in Tokyo in 1981 and is based in Tokyo.
His works are teeming with countless plants, animals, humans, and mythical creatures that blend these elements together. The Innumerable small lives are embraced within a larger life. In his works, you will find the cycle of life—every life is interconnected in nature. Another defining feature of his work is the material he uses. He uses a variety of media and ingenious techniques for his creations.
He drew the Earth Painting series using the soil right at our feet—capitalizing on regional variations in color, grain size, and texture—as if it were paint. He created the White Line series by firing a special sheet used for road markings on asphalt roads and concrete floors. He also created the Masking Plant series by drawing with a pen on masking tape. For large-scale outdoor projects, he collaborates with friends and volunteers.
In recent years, inspired by a hunter he met, he has been creating paintings using the blood of wild deer. He has also renewed his interest in creating pottery, which he first began creating while in high school.
Asai’s representative work
“Music Score for the Earth: The Music of Footsteps/Turning into Earth, Here and Now”
Created in 2025
Media: 65 kinds of soil, sand, charcoal, bengara (a traditional Japanese soil-derived pigment), clay, and acrylic resin
H: 395 × W: 2747 cm
The photo shows the work exhibited in the exhibition entitled Layers of Accumulated Time: Depicting the World We Live in at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 2025
Photo by Takeshi Kida, courtesy of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
制作風景
Tiles used for Back-to-Back are carefully made by hand, one by one. Asai and his team held a tile-making workshop during the creation process.
