Upcoming Exhibition: Haruka Miyamoto – Extinguished Animals

Opening July 11, 2025 – Art San Gallery, Gujo Hachiman, Gifu, Japan

Art San Gallery is proud to present the first solo exhibition in Japan of Haruka Miyamoto, an artist whose sculptures bring vanished species vividly back to life. Extinguished Animals opens on July 11, 2025, in our Gujo Hachiman gallery space, featuring a collection of intricately crafted creatures shaped by a unique blend of artistry and traditional craftsmanship.

Formosan Clouded Leopard by Haruka Miyamoto

Born near Hiroshima and trained at Chelsea College of Art in London, Haruka Miyamoto is internationally recognized for her contributions to major costume and prop design in cinema. Her work has appeared in award-winning films such as Cinderella, Mary Poppins Returns, The Favourite, and Doctor Strange, where her precise hand and imaginative touch have helped define the visual texture of fantasy and historical worlds. One of her sculpted dodo birds is now part of the private collection of celebrated costume designer Sandy Powell, displayed alongside her Oscar trophies.

But Haruka’s heart has always been in sculpture. From early childhood she was obsessed with making, evolving from hand-sewn teddy bears to hybrid animals that seem to breathe. Her lifelong fascination with extinct creatures has given rise to a bestiary of poetic reconstructions—sculptures that blend leather, wood, textile, and traditional shoemaking techniques to produce a new kind of presence.

Central to her practice is the Japanese concept of mottainai—a reverence for materials and their reuse. Haruka breathes life into discarded leathers and forgotten textures, transforming them into powerful, three-dimensional tributes to species we have lost. Her works are not replicas but reimaginings: raw, expressive, and infused with movement.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is a reclining feline figure sculpted with eerie vitality. With ribbed textures, layered materials, and an open jaw that captures the tension of speech or breath, this piece exemplifies her uncanny ability to animate the inanimate.

Extinguished Animals runs from July 11 through the summer season at Art San Gallery. Visitors are invited to explore this poignant, technically masterful series and reflect on the stories these creatures still have to tell.