Born in Osaka in 1945, Shigeo Shinjo graduated from Osaka University of Arts. In 1972, he moved to France, where he established himself as one of the key figures of the Japanese artists’ scene in Paris, alongside Yasse Tabuchi and Takesada Matsutani. From the outset, he developed a singular visual language centered on paper—folded, accumulated, perforated, or layered—which he regarded as a living material to which he sought to “give a history.” Nourished by traditional Japanese aesthetics while remaining open to Western avant-garde movements, his work explores balance, light, and texture. He lived and worked in France until his death in 2014.
Shinjo began exhibiting both solo and in group exhibitions from the late 1960s, in Japan as well as in Europe. Among the key moments of his career was a retrospective held in 2003 at the Osaka Prefectural Contemporary Art Center, entitled Shinjo: Paper Diary: Accumulation & Chopping 1979–2003, accompanied by an official catalogue in the series Aujourd’hui : les artistes. In France, he took part in the “Soirées Mercure” organized by Galerie Weiller—events that brought together readings, debates, and exhibitions focused on Japanese artists. In 1993, he was also included in the exhibition Eleven Japanese Artists in Europe at the Janus Avivson Gallery in London, which confirmed his position within this international network of artists.
Shigeo Shinjo’s work is held in several public collections, notably the Contemporary Art Center of Osaka, the National Museum in Kraków, the City of Pontoise, and the Harmo Museum in Suwa, Japan. This institutional recognition, combined with an international career marked by numerous exhibitions in France, Japan, and elsewhere in Europe, illustrates Shinjo’s lasting impact. His artistic legacy is that of a patient and inventive explorer of paper, who succeeded in bringing tradition and modernity into dialogue through a distinctive visual language.