Manabu Hasegawa was born in Tokyo in 1973 and graduated from the Department of Printmaking, Faculty of Fine Arts at Tame Art University’s Department of Printmaking in 2000. He continues to work in Tokyo. His works involve a technique called “frottage,” in which paper is placed on uneven objects and rubbed with a pencil to trace their contours, creating a duality between two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms.

The current production using frottage originated from the assignments Hasegawa undertook during his university days. It evolved from the nostalgia inherent in the materials of paper and pencil, the comforting feeling of being able to erase what is written, and the gentle connection to memories that arises from the pleasant vibrations and feel of writing transmitted by the pencil. For Hasegawa, these reasons have made paper and pencil a vital material and technique. In the past, Hasegawa also created frottage works of 500 skulls and 1000 statues of Christ repeatedly could be seen as training. From that experience, Hasegawa’s works moved beyond merely the visual language of original replicas, gradually transitioning towards expressions aimed at pursuing the contours of the “truth” that are not immediately visible.