Sumiko Tabata
Sumiko Tabata’s work is born from an unbroken chain of “dialogue.” Art, at its core, is sustained by an ongoing dialogue between the artist’s inner world and the world outside. The artist first confronts herself, asking what she wishes to express. Then she chooses the materials that will best embody that intention, engaging in a continual dialogue with them as she creates. Natural materials such as wood, clay, or stone each speak differently through their textures, colors, scents, and weight. The artist listens carefully, and from that exchange, forms begin to emerge.
When a work is finally completed, it leaves the artist’s hands and begins to possess its own presence, almost like a living being. It then initiates a dialogue with viewers, and the more deeply that dialogue resonates in people’s hearts, the more the work grows in value as a masterpiece.
Behind Tabata’s commitment to dialogue lies her childhood experience. Often ill and unable to play outdoors with other children, she spent long hours engaging in silent exchange with dolls—companions who could not answer her back. Those quiet, persistent dialogues with herself formed the foundation of her creative life.
Years later, as an adult, she realized that the bisque doll she had received from an American woman in childhood—the one she had spoken to as though it were a friend—had, before she knew it, been reduced to only its arms and legs. This discovery prompted her to begin making dolls herself, a practice that eventually evolved into wood carving.
Every piece of wood has a completely distinct character—its grain, color, hardness, weight, and shape. Tabata says, “I converse with the wood, and carve while staying close to the forms that surface from it, so I never know what will emerge until the end.” This process of receiving the material’s individuality, refining it through dialogue, and guiding it toward a higher dimension is at the heart of her work. Ultimately, what emerges are anthropomorphic figures, and what she values most among their features is a face with expression.
The sculptures born from this process each possess a unique personality; no two are the same.
In Hey There (2025), an abstract form shaped by the natural wood grain seems to raise its left hand gently, while below it, feet resembling simple shoes are attached. The head bears a carefully carved face—thin eyebrows, round eyes, a small nose, and thick lips. The lips are painted red, suggesting femininity, yet the expression is not one of greeting; rather, there is an emotional ambiguity beneath the stillness, inviting endless interpretations.
Child (2024) consists of four pieces of wood joined at the torso, with slightly misaligned legs that appear either to be walking or sitting. The arms too can be read as reaching out or folding inward, embracing a wide range of possible readings. The square-shaped face and exaggerated nose evoke a naïve childlike presence, yet the figure carries a striking sense of vitality.
Spirit of the Wood (2024) is carved from a single log without combining separate pieces. By facing one single piece of wood, the work recalls the practices of Buddhist sculptors and conveys a pure dialogue with nature. The subtly carved expression may appear to be smiling or serene depending on the viewer’s perspective, and this ambiguity adds further depth to the piece.
In this way, Tabata’s work arises from a primal human longing for dialogue. Her wood sculptures begin with a dialogue with the self, extend into a dialogue with the material, and ultimately invite a new dialogue with the viewer—a process rich and cyclical, much like life itself.
Carving wood that has lived through long stretches of time is an act of profound communion with nature, and the expressions and forms that emerge quietly awaken our own deep-seated desire for connection. The gaze of her figures is gentle yet firm, reflecting each viewer’s emotions and memories, guiding them toward their inner voice.
Rather than presenting clear answers, Tabata’s works preserve spaciousness—an intentional margin in which viewers can layer their own stories. This spaciousness is the very force that allows the dialogue between artwork and viewer to be continuously renewed.
For this reason, her work carries the potential to resonate deeply across cultures and eras. Tabata Sumiko’s wood sculptures are, in essence, a rich testament to the “memory of dialogue” that is indispensable to human existence.
– Kyoko Sato
Born in 1946 in Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture, Tabata Sumiko is a Japanese artist whose practice has evolved across painting, doll-making, and wood sculpture. She graduated from Musashino Junior College of Art in 1967 with a specialization in oil painting and began exhibiting in Tokyo in 1970, including participation in the Modern Art Exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and solo presentations at Muramatsu Gallery and Takekawa Gallery in Ginza.
In the mid-1980s, Tabata shifted her focus toward doll-making, engaging deeply with the cultural and emotional dimensions of figurative objects. As an instructor at Wakayama Kintetsu Culture Center and a participant in international doll conferences throughout Europe, she developed a practice that bridged traditional Japanese sensibilities and global craft discourse. Her work from this period entered the collection of the Limburg Doll Museum in Germany.
Since 2012, Tabata has concentrated on wood carving, studying under sculptor Yasuhiko Hashimoto. Her sculptural works—often anthropomorphic in form—have been exhibited at institutions and galleries including the Kyoto Cultural Museum, Umeda Chayamachi Gallery, Gallery Koubou in Tokyo, and La Foresta Gallery in Osaka Prefecture. In 2023, she began exploring chainsaw carving under Keiji Kidokoro, further expanding the scale and physicality of her engagement with wood. In 2026, her work was selected for Art Incubation Series 20, Stepping into a World VI curated by Motoichi Adachi and Kyoko Sato (Gallery Max New York), affirming her continued commitment to material-based dialogue and figurative expression.