Usui Hitomi

Born in 1980 in Tokyo. Graduated with an MFA in Woodworking from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2010. She is currently based in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture. Usui explores human activity, living organisms, and their relationships through artistic practice as a way of understanding the world. Working mainly with wood, she develops her work around the imagined concept of a "Wooden Utensil Age," reflecting on human perspectives toward nature, everyday relationships with plants, and an interest in folk culture.

Her recent exhibitions include "Hiroshima MoCA FIVE 25/26" (Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, 2025-2026), and "NEW New Artists / NEW Backbone Artists 2025" (Art Center NEW, Kanagawa, 2025). She participated in the Tokyo Artist Accelerator Program (TAAP) (Arts Council Tokyo, 2024) and the Exchange Residency Program [Helsinki], 2017, Tokyo Arts and Space.