HAROSHI: ABACO

NANZUKA is pleased to present Abaco, Haroshi’s third solo exhibition at the gallery following Guzo (2017) and I versus I(2021) and features a selection of new works.

September 12 – November 09, 2025

Since 2003, Haroshi has engaged in creating artworks through a unique and self-taught method of utilizing parts from old skateboard decks. He continues to receive much acclaim and recognition as an artist who symbolizes the current street scene through various activities including his collaborations with the street brand HUF and the production of the trophies

for BATB, one of the world’s leading skateboarding competitions. His recent solo exhibitions include a showcasing at Art Basel Miami Beach (Nova, NANZUKA) in 2018 and Dive into the Pit at Jeffrey Deitch New York in 2022. He has also participated in numerous international group exhibitions such as Tokyo Pop Underground, which toured the galleries of Jeffery Deitch in New York and Los Angeles from 2019 to 2020, and City As Studio (K11 MUSEA, Hong Kong) in 2023.

"The concept behind Haroshi’s work is salvation. It is about saving things that have been discarded and forgotten, such as used skateboards and soft vinyl toys, and creating new forms of evolution. When we started this activity in 2003, our original concept was to make it a global initiative—increase the number of people who recycle skateboards to make new

things and eliminate the number of skateboards that end up being thrown away. Nowadays, there are many people all over the world who are making things from skateboards without even knowing about us and what we do.

That was when I encountered Kokeshi dolls. Kokeshi dolls were a childhood companion until the advent of soft vinyl and other petroleum-based toys. However, they have been replaced by Barbie dolls and soft vinyl toys, and they are now regarded as crafts that are only collected by a few enthusiasts. Among them, old, sun-bleached Kokeshi dolls have nowhere to go, and are sold at bargain prices at recycle stores and antique markets.

When I came across damaged Kokeshi dolls being sold off cheaply, I was reminded of Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, who had been discarded after his owner had grown tired of him. At that moment, I wondered if there was something I could do for these dolls.