Makoto Ofune was born in 1977 in Osaka. A Japanese painter, he lives and works in Shiga Prefecture, near Kyoto. In 2000, he graduated from the Department of Fine Art at Kyoto University of Education. There he majored in nihonga, Japanese-style painting. He then completed postgraduate research there in 2001.

An Entirely Natural Technique

An heir to this tradition, Ofune reinvents it with rare rigor. Every element of his work is entirely natural, free of artificial chemicals or dyes. His support is a hemp paper made especially for him, known as “Ofune paper.” He then mounts it on a wooden frame with natural glue. His colors are iwa-enogu, mineral pigments made using an ancient method. Ores and stones such as cinnabar, azurite and malachite are first broken apart with an iron pestle. They are then crushed in a ceramic mortar. The finer the particles, the more vibrant the color.

These powders are mixed with nikawa, a natural animal glue. It must be applied before it cools and sets. The artist can therefore prepare only small amounts at a time. As the glue dries, it fixes the pigments to the paper. It creates a raised, almost sculpted surface that keeps the texture and sparkle of the minerals. Makoto Ofune repeats this gesture layer after layer, until he achieves the color and texture he seeks.

This slow, meticulous process is a form of meditation for him. It thus imbues his work with a deep spirituality. The process matters as much as the finished work. It even begins, he says, long before he touches his materials. Indeed, the colors of the stones took millennia to form within the Earth. Makoto Ofune sees himself as “the bridge between nature and art.” He therefore translates the power and mystery of the natural world.

Landscapes of Color

His works are often grouped in evocatively titled series, such as Wave and Reflection Field. They are vast colorscapes that vibrate and shift with the light and the viewing angle. Through their depth, they seek to connect with the infinite. They also invite viewers to lose themselves in dreamlike fields of color. The artist also creates sculptures that extend this inquiry into space.

In 2016, he received a fellowship from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs to study overseas. He has had solo exhibitions at Yoshii Gallery in New York and Gallery Ami in Osaka. He has also shown solo at Galerie Akié Arichi in Paris and Olivier Malingue in London. Moreover, his work has been shown at the Neues Museum in Nuremberg, Gallery Koyanagi in Tokyo and the Maison de la culture du Japon in Paris. It has also been presented at the Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shinto shrines in Kyoto. In 2023, Château La Coste in Provence presented his exhibition Into the Harmony.

Eternity in Paris

In spring 2025, Galerie 75 Faubourg in Paris presented Eternity, with Yoshii Gallery (New York) and Galerie Enrico Navarra. The exhibition brought together recent paintings and sculptures.