Ryo Kato is an emerging Japanese painter, born in 1978 in Nimi, Okayama Prefecture. He currently lives and works in Berlin.

Between 1995 and 1998, he studied drawing and painting at his high school and private art schools in Okayama. After graduating, he spent nine months in Paris before relocating to Berlin at the age of 19.

In 2001, he began studying at the Berlin University of the Arts, initially in Wolfgang Petrick's class. In 2005, he joined Daniel Richter's class as a master student and completed his studies in 2006.

During his studies, Kato held his first exhibitions in Germany. In 2010, he participated in an art fair for the first time, presenting a solo show at Art Karlsruhe.

His career gained further recognition in 2012 when he was awarded first place in the prestigious Ishi Prize in Japan. The following year, one of his works was included in the collection of the Okayama Prefectural Museum, which later acquired another piece in 2015. His works is now part

of four museum collections: the Okayama Prefectural Museum, Niimi Museum, Ebene Kunst Museum and Museum Obentraut3.

In 2021, he received the "Initial" special scholarship from the Berlin Academy of Arts, followed by the "NEUSTART KULTUR" scholarship from the KUNSTFONDS Foundation in 2022.

Kato‘s artistic style seamlessly merges figurative and abstract elements, with subtle realistic motifs emerging through his masterful use of color blending and scraping techniques

From early on, Kato’s work addresses environmental issues, a theme that resonates deeply with many and has garnered significant attention from the press and media.

Kato's work has been featured in numerous galleries, art fairs, “Kunstvereine” (art associations), and museum exhibitions in recent years. He has several forthcoming solo shows in 2025 and 2026, including one at the Stadtmuseum Schopfheim in Germany in 2025 and another at the Nariwa Museum in Japan in 2026. In Germany, exhibitions in “Kunstvereine” are highly regarded as a precursor to museum exhibitions. They are often supported by banks, entrepreneurs, and municipal funding structures.

Solo Shows:

2026

Nariwa Museum, Takahashi, Japan – (July 4-August 30)

Tafelberg, Nürnberg, Germany – March 

Galerie Bengelsträter, Düsseldorf, Germany – January

Galerie Art Affair, Regensburg, Germany – date to be confirmed

Kunstverein Aichach, Germany – date to be confirmed

2025

Galerie Hoang Beli, Paris, France – November

“Intermediate Lines”, Stadtmuseum Schopfheim, Germany – September

“Make the World Great Again”, Galerie Falkenberg, Hanover, Germany – August 31-October12

“Art River”, Fuchu Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan – July

“The Sound of Nature”, Kultur am See Bad Saarow Gallery, Bad Saarow, Germany – May 20-July 13

“Back to Nature”, Kunstverein Kunst Freunde Pritzwalk, Pritzwalk, Germany – January 18-March 8

2024

“Art for the New Age”, Kato Art Collective (KAC), Tokyo, Japan

"The Decisive Point", Kunstverein Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany

"Faith and Environment", Güstrow Gallery, Güstrow, Germany

"The Monsters We Create", bskunst.de alternativer Kunstverein, Braunschweig, Germany

"Shortly Before Twelve", Galerie Art Affair, Regensburg, Germany

"Fire and water", Kunstverein Brühl, Brühl, Germany

2023

"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing", Galerie Bengelsträter, Düsseldorf, Germany

2022

“A Hot Day”, Landford Gallery, Cologne, Germany

"Colors of Destruction" Kunstverein Heinsberg, Heinsberg, Germany

"Turning Point", Kunstverein Hockenheim, Hockenheim, Germany

“Time out", Gallery of the Volksbank (Kunstförderverein Weinheim), Weinheim, Germany

2021

"The Limit of Ignorance", Galerie Bengelsträter, Düsseldorf, Germany

"A Short Break for Nature", Galerie Palais Walderdorff , Trier, Germany

2020

“The Disaster as an Opportunity”, Parktheater Iserlohn, Iserlohn, Germany

2019

“Cry of Green", Nariwa Museum of Art, Okayama, Japan

“Fairytale Hour for Adults”, Neuer Kunstverein Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

"Limit", Gallery TS4312, Tokyo, Japan

Selected Group Shows:

2025

“Art Karlsruhe 2025, Art Fair”, Galerie Art Affair, Karlsruhe, Germany

2024

“Art Karlsruhe 2024, Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Karlsruhe, Germany

“FO You: Voluntary Art Liaison”, Berlin, Germany

2023

"Art Market Budapest, Art Fair”, Galerie Art Affair, Budapest, Hungary

"Art Karlsruhe, Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Karlsruhe, Germany

2022

“SCOPE Miami Beach, Art Fair”, Landford Gallery, Miami, USA

"Fo you", Marienburg, Berlin, Germany

“Art Karlsruhe, Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Karlsruhe, Germany

“Discovery Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Frankfurt, Germany

2021

“….Mixing to Create Something New”, Kunstverein Bad Salzdetfurth e.V., Bodenburg, Germany

“Discovery Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Frankfurt, Germany

“Contemporary Art Ruhr, Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Essen, Germany

"20 Years of the Gallery for New Art”, Galerie Falkenberg, Hannover, Germany

2020

“Contemporary Art Ruhr, Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Essen, Germany

“Discovery Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Frankfurt, Germany

"Art Karlsruhe, Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Karlsruhe, Germany

2019

“Discovery Art Fair”, Galerie Bengelsträter, Frankfurt, Germany

This portfolio of five paintings comes from different series of works, unified by their exploration of the connection between nature and humanity. Kato's art serves as a medium to raise awareness about the state of the environment and advocate for sustainable protection.

He explores the ambivalent symbiosis between these two worlds, developing a unique and personal artistic language that allows him to delve deeply into these themes. Each of his works tells a story about environmental issues, not by offering concrete solutions or definitive statements, but by serving as a catalyst—prompting viewers to engage with the topic, ask their own questions, and seek their own answers.

Kato's artistic exploration of environmental issues was profoundly shaped by the catastrophic Fukushima nuclear power plant accident.

As Kato has explained:

"My engagement with the destruction and beauty of nature—environmental issues—is a driving force in my life that has been reflected in my art since I began painting. I want to inspire people to reflect and engage in discussions. My art seems to resonate with the times."