Ryo Toyonaga Born 1960
Japanese, Sculptor

A few years after moving to New York City from his native Japan in the late 1980s, Toyonaga began developing a vocabulary of biomorphic forms, appearing to emerge from the earth itself, perhaps the depths of the ocean or recesses deep in forgotten mines. Toyonaga describes the creation of his work as an organic process coming from a deeply intuitive place within. During the 1990s, Toyonaga worked exclusively in clay, altering the works appearance through firing method, surface pattern, and added nodules, tentacles, and even commonplace spouts and valves protruding from the exterior. As the organic energy flowed and changed within his imagination, Toyonaga expanded his vocabulary of expression and materials, including the introduction of red wax in 2002, and bronze and aluminum casting in 2004. With an interest in increasing the size and stance of the work, Toyonaga began exploring papier-mâché in 2005.

Alexandra Munroe and Edward Leffingwell, Ryo Toyonaga ( New York : Charles Cowles Gallery, 2006).