"Train Wreck" Painting

JR CHUO (b. 2002) is a British-Portuguese artist based in the United Kingdom.

Working entirely by hand, CHUO produces intricate compositions that require tens of thousands of individual cuts. His work is defined by technical precision, material restraint, and an engagement with themes of ecological fragility, accumulation, and time.

CHUO works with paper as a system through which he examines how environmental and urban structures are formed, organised, and understood. His practice draws parallels between coral reef ecosystems and metropolitan infrastructures, such as subway networks and architectural grids, approaching both as interconnected networks shaped by rhythm, interdependence, and repetition. Constructed through removal, the work develops through sustained, controlled cutting, where each incision contributes to the integrity of the whole.

His technique is informed by Ise katagami, operating as a methodological framework in which the composition functions as a complete structure.

In 2025, CHUO presented two solo exhibitions, 100 Thousand Cuts of the Knife (London) and System of Escape (Tokyo). His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in private collections across Europe, North America, and Asia.

CHUO studied Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge and was a Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholar at Keio University, Tokyo, where he conducted research on the role of public art in post-tsunami regeneration in northeastern Japan. His academic background and extended lived experience in Japan continue to inform the conceptual structure and formal discipline of his practice. He was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list (Arts and Culture) in 2022.

CHUO aims to capture the 'tragic beauty' of dying corals in his work, by creating striking designs, often using fluorescent colours to draw attention to the intricacy of the artworks. He has partnered with environmental NGO ‘Coralive’ to support their coral restoration work around the world through the sale of his original artworks.

However, CHUO hopes that people feel optimistic when looking at his vibrant work and that his pieces encourage an appreciation for the beauty of corals and the versatility of paper.