Ryo Hidaka

KUZUSHI — Calligraphy, Undone

In Japanese calligraphy, kuzushi is the centuries-old art of loosening a character — letting its strokes run together until careful script becomes fluid cursive. This ongoing series takes that idea to its limit. Each work begins with a single kanji, written with the brush, then undone: strokes are stretched, layered, buried, or set free until the character dissolves into painting. Some remain legible; most do not. The title is the only place the character survives intact — a word to hold, and a painting that holds everything the word cannot say.

Ryo is a Tokyo-based artist whose practice begins with Japanese calligraphy (shodo) and moves toward full abstraction, keeping only the rhythm, weight, and emotion of the line. He graduated from Tokyo University of Science in 2019 and began exhibiting in 2023. He was selected for Art Olympia 2026 and has taken part in the Luxembourg Art Prize 2024 and the Arte Laguna Prize 2024. His welcome board is on permanent display at Dining Bar Clann in Nishiogikubo, Tokyo. He also creates generative art with Three.js, exploring the possibilities of the line through both the brush and code.

2019 - Tokyo University of Science, Japan

2026 - Art Olympia 2026, Selected (Tokyo, Japan)
2024 - Arte Laguna Prize 2024, Participant (Venice, Italy)
2024 - Luxembourg Art Prize 2024, Participant (Luxembourg)
Ongoing - Welcome board on permanent display, Dining Bar Clann (Nishiogikubo, Tokyo)