From March 26 to 29, 2026, LIGHT BOX SATELLITE AOYAMA in Tokyo's Aoyama neighborhood will host the SETSUO KANO "YOHEN" Exhibition, offering visitors a new way to experience the world of artist Setsuo Kano (加納節雄).
Following the overwhelming reception of his first-ever Tokyo solo exhibition in September 2025, this show introduces "YOHEN" — a new approach to presenting Kano's work that extracts portions of his large-scale original paintings to create independent, accessible pieces.
About SETSUO KANO
Setsuo Kano is a rare artist who combines a refined aesthetic sensibility cultivated through collecting antique art centered on Edo-period paintings, with a modern outlook shaped by his experiences on the world stage. His works have been exhibited at the reception hall during Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, where they were introduced to visiting dignitaries from around the world as representative works of Japan.
His paintings hold at their core the aesthetics and philosophy of "MUJO" (impermanence) — a worldview nurtured in Japan over more than a thousand years. Rather than conveying fixed meanings, his works carry a depth and openness that allows them to resonate differently with each viewer depending on their life experience, time, and imagination.
The family of Ernest Francisco Fenollosa (1853–1908) — the American art historian and philosopher who visited Japan during the Meiji era and devoted himself to preserving and promoting Japanese art — has recognized Kano's work as truly conveying the essence of Japanese aesthetics to the present day.
The YOHEN Approach
If Kano's fusuma-sized original paintings are haute couture, YOHEN is prêt-à-porter. Each YOHEN work is created by extracting a portion of an original painting in collaboration with the artist. These are not fragments of something incomplete; rather, they are works designed to let viewers imagine and experience the profound world of the original up close.
Indra Fifteen Deities
The exhibition focuses on Kano's latest series, the Indra Fifteen Deities. Like the gods of Japan, the deities of Indra are richly individual and deeply connected to nature and human life. Medieval Japanese incorporated these deities into their own pantheon through the shared concept of "MUJO" (impermanence), and Kano now reimagines their images and stories for the contemporary era.
Indra is a god who lives through change.
A being who holds both lightning and war, light and darkness.
This duality is the very symbol of MUJO.
…Therefore, Indra is not a foreign god.
It is a universal presence that resonates most deeply with the breath of Japan's "MUJO."
The sky of the Vedas and the moon of the Heian period cast the same light.
— Setsuo Kano
The Aesthetics of "Nuki"
The essence of Japanese culture — often described through concepts like the beauty of negative space or the aesthetic of subtraction — is elevated in Kano's work through his unique technique called "nuki." This approach makes maximum use of the properties of washi paper.
From facial expressions and bodily movements, to the delicate textures of garments and ritual implements, to formless images like water and flames — nearly all of it is expressed through "nuki." This is a breathtakingly demanding technique with few parallels in art history, and one of remarkable boldness.
Ancient Japanese culture, art, aesthetics.
At their core, all is nuki.
And my paintings too, in the midst of nuki,
receive without fixing the force that seeks to be born.
No matter how dense and mind-numbing the nuki may be,
I simply nuki, and make myself obscure.
— Setsuo Kano
Exhibition Works
Note: Works shown are in a prototype stage and may differ from those displayed at the actual exhibition.
In addition to the exhibition, a selection of limited-edition works will be available for purchase, allowing visitors to bring the world of SETSUO KANO into their own homes.
Exhibition Details
Title: SETSUO KANO "YOHEN" Exhibition — The World of Original Paintings, Up Close
Venue: LIGHT BOX SATELLITE AOYAMA
5-15-9 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo (Flat Aoyama 101)
Dates: March 26 (Thu) to March 29 (Sun), 2026
Hours: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
(First day opens at 2:00 PM / Last day closes at 5:00 PM)
Admission: Free
Official Website: http://setsuokano.jp/
Instagram: @setsuo_kano
