ADF Art Gallery Project Vol.45 | Artist Takeshi Sumi Solo Exhibition “Rhythm wears Life”

ADF (Aoyama Design Forum) is pleased to present the 45th edition of its “ADF Art Gallery Project,” featuring "Rhythm wears Life," a solo exhibition by artist Takeshi Sumi, at GARDE Gallery from July 10 to July 29, 2026. The opening reception will be held on Friday, July 10, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Please feel free to join us.

Sumi centers his practice on portrait photography, layering photographs with embroidery, slits, and light to breathe new life into otherwise static images. The physical texture created by thread releases the photograph from its two-dimensional surface, transforming it into a singular presence. What begins as an individual portrait gradually expands into a quiet reflection on life, memory, and universal beauty.

Through this exhibition, Sumi gently extends the boundaries of photography, exploring how life and beauty can transcend the individual and continue to resonate through others.

Takeshi Sumi
Born in Kyoto in 1981, Takeshi Sumi graduated from the Faculty of Letters at Meiji University before completing his studies in the Department of Information Design at Tama Art University.

Working primarily with photography, Sumi explores the theme of "discovering the world beyond what is visible," creating works that emphasize physical and sensory experience. His publications include: Swimming in the Sky (Libro Arte, 2012), Fingers and Stars (Libro Arte, 2019), Rhythm wears Life (Tombodama Publishing, 2026). His works are included in the agnès b. Collection and have been widely used for book covers and advertising campaigns.

Sumi has also engaged with socially relevant projects, including providing the key visual for the documentary Harukanaru, which focuses on people living with ALS, and contributing artwork to the Silhouette Family Exhibition (2023), an art project organized by Kodomap that explores LGBTQ+ families.

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025 — concorde, Kyoto
2025 — Les Fantaisies – Things That Once Existed There -, node hotel, Kyoto
2024 — For a Better World, hIDE GALLERY TOKYO, Tokyo
2023 — Photographs, Lost and Born, hIDE GALLERY TOKYO, Tokyo
2021 — halo, BOOK AND SONS, Tokyo
2020 — Les Fantaisies, Galerie Grand E'Terna, Paris
2019 — Fingers and Stars, gallery Main, Kyoto
2019 — Fingers and Stars, Galerie Grand E'Terna, Paris
2016 — Existence is Beyond the Reflection and Transmitted Light, Shinpuhkan by gallery Main, Kyoto
2015 — Lumière et vous, Galerie Grand E'Terna, Paris
2011 — Light, Port Gallery T, Osaka
2010 — Meteor, Akarui Heya, Tokyo

Art Projects
2023 — Silhouette Family Exhibition, a collaborative project with the nonprofit Kodomap

Selected Art Fairs
2024 — ONE ART TAIPEI 2024, Taipei (with hIDE GALLERY TOKYO)
2023 — ART FAIR ASIA FUKUOKA 2023 (with hIDE GALLERY TOKYO)
2017 — fotofever, Paris (with gallery Main)
2016 — Affordable Art Fair, New York
2012 — no found photo fair, Paris (with Libro Arte)
2012 — TOKYO PHOTO 2012 (with Libro Arte)

Selected Commissions
2023 — Cover artwork for THE FORWARD Vol. 6 (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha)
2022 — Cover of Beyond the Transparent Membrane by Kotomi Li (Hayakawa Publishing)
2022 — Cover of At the End of Love by Tsukuru Nishida (Gentosha)
2021 — Cover of The Gods by Miki Mori (Kobunsha)
2020 — 20th Anniversary visual campaign for JR Kyoto Isetan
2020 — Cover of The Night Polaris Falls by Kotomi Li (Chikuma Shobo)
2020 — Cover of Gunzo, Vol. 75 No. 1 (Kodansha)
2019 — Cover of Behavior by Shindo Junjo (KADOKAWA eBook)
2018 — Library edition cover design for Spica for the Anonymous by Rio Shimamoto (Shoei Sha)