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Haroshi: The Building Blocks of (Skate) Life

3,355 views · Published 21 December 2018 · 0:49 · Indexed 10 October 2026

Channel: Juxtapoz Magazine · 2018 · Entertainment

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There is probably enough evidence around the art world to suggest a working artist, with a schedule of exhibitions and resume full of projects is, in a way, living that dream you pursued at a younger age. I’m not talking about the stress and anxiety of creative output, because that is a beast we cannot ignore. I’m talking about that youthful energy to create something, envisioned by oneself as a working artist and doing whatever it takes to make that your life. In this idea, there may not be another artist quite like Tokyo-based Haroshi, who has taken a lifelong and youthful obsession with skateboarding and literally made it the backbone and infrastructure of everything he does in the art world. 

Calling Haroshi a sculptor seems too simple, because he is a collector, architect, painter and industrial designer, as well. What he has done throughout his career is take recycled skateboard decks, transforming and crafting them into sculptures that range from classic graphics, pop iconography, installations, and the present, where he currently recreates Japanese toys, including those from childhood. In a way, he is fashioning a toy within a toy, a collectible of a collectible, all with the incredible remolding of skateboard plywood materials. We visited Haroshi’s studio on the outskirts of Tokyo, watched his intricate new carving and shaping methods, explored his newly purchased, vintage Japanese toys… and watched him skate his studio ramp. 

Read our interview with Haroshi here: 
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/magazine/features/haroshi-the-building-blocks-of-life/

Buy the Winter 2019 issue here:
https://shop.juxtapoz.com/jux-208-winter-2019.html

Film by Chop em' Down Films:
https://www.instagram.com/chopemdownfilms/

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