Tenki Hiramatsu
- Mar 11
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Islands Project (IP): Thank you for joining us for a conversation. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Tenki Hiramatsu (TH): My name is Tenki Hiramatsu and I’m a Japanese artist based in Berlin.
IP: You were based in Karlsruhe before. Was there any reason for the move?
TH: I lived in Karlsruhe for some years, but the owner of the apartment where I was staying decided to move, so I also took a chance to move out. After that, I stayed at different places in Karlsruhe, Berlin and Leipzig. I’ve been settled in my current studio/home in Berlin since October 2024.
IP: How did you find this move inside Germany?
TH: Leipzig was good as the rent was much cheaper but, after that, because of connections with friends, I managed to get my current place in Berlin. I’ve liked it so far. This space used to be a stable. That’s why it’s separate from the main building, stands on its own in the inner courtyard and has such a high ceiling.
IP: That’s a good start. How has Berlin been treating you?
TH: This is not my first time living in Berlin. When I moved from Japan to Germany in 2015, the first place I lived was Berlin. I was studying the German language back then, and I was also preparing to begin art school.
IP: You graduated with a B.A. from the College of Art at Nihon University in Tokyo in 2009. What did you do right after graduation?
TH: I was actually playing music. I was a bass player but I had a chance to talk with my former supervisor and she mentioned to me that there was a scholarship available to study in Germany. I wanted to pursue that. After coming to Berlin, I prepared a portfolio and some drawings but I received harsh feedback. I realized it was tough to get into art school. After some struggles, I received an opportunity to study with professors Marcel van Eeden and Daniel Roth in Karlsruhe under what’s called Aufbaustudium in the German education system. It’s not a master’s program, but I could study there as someone who had already completed a bachelor’s degree.
IP: So you moved to Karlsruhe in 2016. Did you spend the COVID-19 pandemic there?
TH: Yes, I did. I could still paint and hold exhibitions during that time, so it wasn’t that bad, but of course there were some racist incidents against Asians. Someone shouted “virus” at me as I was exiting a department store. People hesitated to touch my hands, for example when giving me change in a store, so I felt it could probably be related to that.
IP: In relation to your current life in Berlin, how do you find the local art community? Do you feel that you’re part of it?
TH: No, I don’t really feel that, to be honest, but I do have a few good friends here.
IP: How was it in Karlsruhe?
TH: It was hard to get into the art scene there too but, as the time went by, I of course made friends and connections.
IP: And did the move from Karlsruhe to Berlin change your approach to art?
TH: Not really. I do paintings with oil and acrylic, which reflect my style of the abstract and figurative being combined. You can notice the faces, and sometimes also the bodies, of human beings, animals or fictional figures in my painting. But the backgrounds are normally totally abstract. I just need to face the canvas. Sometimes I paint first and later totally change the idea with new images taking over the original ones. So I just need a quiet working environment. Berlin is good in the sense that there are more exhibitions and events going on. And also it’s easier to meet art professionals here. Some galleries and curators, for example from the U.S., make an annual trip to Berlin and visit my studio.
IP: In 2024, you had three solo exhibitions, one in Zurich, one in New York and another in Los Angeles. In 2025, your works were also exhibited in places like Hong Kong and Kyoto. It seems that you’re managing to keep connections globally in spite of the move. Another interesting thing is that, although you are now officially based in Berlin, you still have an exhibition space in Karlsruhe. How do you manage it?
TH: Yes, the project is called “Lapislazuli”. People can view the exhibition through glass, like seeing things in a shop window. I run this project with my friend so I go down to Karlsruhe regularly to change the exhibitions. Recently, for example, we had this great exhibition “Figure” by Gal Schindler and Jae Yong Lee, from January to March, 2025.
IP: It sounds like a lot of work!
TH: It takes more than six hours by high speed train to get to Karlsruhe from Berlin. I feel that Karlsruhe is almost my Jimoto, as we say in Japanese, my hometown where I belong.
IP: What does ‘Lapislazuli’ actually mean?
TH: It’s the name of a blue mineral from Afghanistan, which has been treasured in human civilization for more than 6,000 years. It’s not used much now, but I like the way it sounds. I still have friends in Karlsruhe so it’s nice to go back. But not all my friends are in as many of them have also left for their career development in Cologne and other cities. I feel that where I live is not really up to me to decide as coincidences always play a key role when it comes to finding a new home. Life goes on in a new place.
For more information on Tenki Hiramatsu, please visit -
Instagram @tenkihiramatsu
Website www.tenkihiramatsu.com
The interview was conducted in 2025.
