Oki Sato, the Canadian-born Japanese designer, was born in 1977 in Toronto, Canada. Listed among “the 100 most respected Japanese” by Newsweek magazine, and recipient of numerous “Designer of the Year” honours from publications like Wallpaper and Elle Decor.
Design, according to Oki Sato, the self-described “spinning-top” of Nendo, is a way to interact with our never-ending human curiosities through a kind of dance. His unbridled and childlike enthusiasm for design and its boundless possibilities is remarkable. His courageous and unwavering belief that the world is a beautiful thing and a place of balance that extends beyond the physical results of his shared Canadian and Japanese ancestry. In his unique, nuanced way, Sato has continued his quest for exploration in all facets of design since opening the Nendo studio in Tokyo in 2002. (Oki Sato – Minimalissimo, n.d.)
Education
He received his M.Arch. from Waseda University, Tokyo, in 2002.
Biography
He established his design studio, “Nendo”, in 2002. He has engaged in a wide range of design-related activities, from graphic and product design to creating furniture, installations, windows, and interiors, as well as making inroads into the field of architecture.
Nendo
Nendo was founded in 2002 and is renowned for its intriguing, minimalist products. Nendo challenges a user’s preconceptions of what an object should be or look like with unexpected forms and clever details. The Sawaru lamp is a superb illustration of the studio’s capacity to reimagine the objects in our environment. Can you roll together two cylinders to create a floor lamp? Yes, as Sato’s unexpected union of these fundamental geometries demonstrates, which opens a window into the thoughtfulness of this talented artist.
Collections
- Museum of Modern Art / New York
- Musee des Arts decoratifs / Paris
- Museum of Arts and Design / New York
- Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum / New York
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts / Montreal
- Design Museum Holon / Holon Israel Museum / Jerusalem
- High Museum of Art / Atlanta
- Victoria and Albert Museum / London Centre Pompidou / Paris
- Art Institute of Chicago / Chicago
- Triennale Design Museum / Milan
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art / Los Angeles
- Denver Art Museum / Denver
- Design Museum / London
- Philadelphia Museum of Art / Philadelphia
- 21_21 Design Sight / Tokyo
Recognition
- Good Design Award (Japan)
- Japan Commercial Environmental Design Association (JCD) Award Gold Prize
- Japan Interior Architects / Designer’s Association (JID) Award Grand Prize
- I.D. Annual Design Review Best Product (USA)
- red dot design award (Germany)
- iF products design award (Germany)
- Furniture Design Award Grand Prize (Singapore)
- Wallpaper Best Domestic Design (UK)
- Compasso d’Oro Honorable Mention (Italy)
- Elle Deco International Design Award “Bath and Materials”
Sources
Oki Sato – Minimalissimo. (n.d.). Minimalissimo. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://minimalissimo.com/creators/1/oki-sato
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