～ From Rome to the World: The Journey of a Cross-Cultural Creator ～

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In 1972, in the eternal city of Rome, a Japanese creator was born whose name, Shuhei Tominaga, would later become an important bridge connecting Japan with the international design and art world. Growing up surrounded by expressions ranging from ancient Roman ruins to contemporary art, "beautiful things" were simply part of his daily existence. His formative years walking among Roman ruins and medieval alleyways would cultivate the international sensibility and timeless aesthetic vision that would later become the foundation of his creative practice.

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Upon returning to Japan, Tominaga enrolled in the Oil Painting Department at Tama Art University, where he distinguished himself from his student years. In 1995, at the young age of 23, he held his first solo exhibition at Gallery Gaho in Ginza. That same year, he participated in NICAF YOKOHAMA'95, the International Contemporary Art Festival, and achieved exhibition at the Yokohama Bank headquarters, marking a brilliant art debut. His 1998 solo exhibition "Santa Maria del COLLAGE" achieved the remarkable feat of selling all 27 exhibited works. This overwhelming support was evidence that the international sensibility cultivated in Rome resonated deeply with Japanese audiences.

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After university graduation, Tominaga returned to Italian soil, this time to study design at the Istituto Europeo di Design. The transition from painting to design was a natural progression for him. Upon returning to Japan, he began full-scale activity as a product designer, collaborating with multiple Italian manufacturers to realize product launches at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. He also designed chairs for Muji and achieved sales through Design Within Reach in America, earning recognition that transcended borders.

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Subsequently, as a designer, he established workshop Atelier Mapa and the Mastro Geppetto toy brand. At XYL, a hinoki wood furniture manufacturer in Hamamatsu, he presented products that skillfully fused design with Japan's indigenous hinoki cypress wood. As an art director, he handled branding for Mastro Geppetto , REALE, Juhachinichi, EAU, and other brands. His talent is evidenced by his exceptional track record of eight Good Design Awards, two Wood Design Awards, and five Good Toy Awards.

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Then in 2022, a major turning point arrived in Tominaga's creative life with the birth of his signature series "Who is that Hat?"  Through anonymous characters wearing triangular hats, he explores the dramatic moments hidden within human daily life. The philosophy that "people perform their daily lives in order to live dramatically, and those moments and places pass by cruelly without anyone knowing" is sublimated into a universal message.

He established a unique methodology involving hand-drawn sketches that are digitally traced, laser-cut into parts, then hand-painted and assembled.

2024 became a breakthrough year, with exhibitions realized in five countries: Germany, Switzerland, the United States, Australia, and Austria. The exhibition "NATURE" in Chelsea, New York, drew significant attention, while works sold in Venice and Melbourne, elevating his international recognition. In 2025, his solo exhibition "Who is that Hat? 2025" at Gallery Kobo in Ginza achieved great success, with momentum carrying forward to confirmed solo exhibitions in Nagano and Kanda. Furthermore, an exhibition at the Xiamen National Art Museum in China is planned, and he is expanding his expressive territory by providing illustrations for Sato Hachiro's poetry collection. Solo exhibitions in Melbourne are scheduled for 2026-27.

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Born in Rome, educated in Japan, and recognized worldwide, Shuhei Tominaga continues to support people's lives as a designer while exploring the essence of humanity as an artist. Just as his triangular-hatted characters appear across various scenes transcending time and space, he himself continues to connect the world through the power of design and art, transcending era and place.