Sculptor Tomohiro Inaba crafts iron and stainless steel pieces that leave space for the viewer’s imagination. His path began with childhood clay play, leading to sculptural studies in high school, a doctorate in metalwork, and the launch of his professional career in 2011. While his early work focused on technical skill, he found that fully finished forms created distance with the audience. This is what prompted a shift toward sculptures that function through ongoing engagement.His approach centers on three ideas: temporality, the potential of the blank, and the viewer's imagination. By leaving his animal sculptures intentionally incomplete, he uses "nothingness" as a tool to invite viewers into the narrative. Inspired by excavated fragments of ancient pottery, fossils, and the transformation sequences of childhood animated films, his technique relies on deliberate gaps to trigger thought.Below, you'll find a selection of our favorite artworks. Scroll down and see which one sparks your imagination the most.More info: Instagram | Facebook | youtube.com | artsy.net | x.com | tomohiro-inaba.com#1 Innocent Starsize: h1215×w580×275mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inabaTomohiro’s philosophy directly shapes how his works exist within a room or public space. As he explains in his website statement, “I would like my creations to be sculptures which engage with the viewer's imagination. I believe art has a role of bringing viewers a ‘fruitful time’, to fantasize about something the eyes cannot see.” For the artist, a successful piece is not a self-contained statement, but a conversation starter. By leaving portions of the form open-ended, he gives the viewer an active role in completing the visual narrative.#2 Hearing Footsteps Left By A Starsize: h960×w1000×400mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2021© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#3 Choice Of The Storysize: h1540×w500×400mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inabaThis interactive element stems directly from his reflection on how art functions in everyday environments: "I envisioned a form of existence where a static sculpture could 'function' in the world by continuously engaging with those who view it," he shared with Bored Panda. He points to common human experiences, like looking at excavated pottery fragments, ancient ruins, or watching animation transformation sequences, to show how missing details naturally spark curiosity. By intentionally building "nothingness" into solid stainless steel, his work transforms passive observation into an active act of imagining.#4 Memory Of Kindnesssize: h1430×w2800×650mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#5 When The World Strains Its Earssize: h1265×w700×785mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#6 Continuesize: h1420×w2190×570mmmaterial: stainless steelyear: 2025© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#7 Memories Of The Beginningsize: h1870×w2000×550mmmaterial: stainless steelyear: 2026© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#8 The Praying Starssize: h1430×w870×320mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#9 The Night Your Voice Is Heardsize: h1125×w700×630mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#10 I'm Here No.1size: h345×w550×190mmmaterial: iron, acrylic paintyear: 2025© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#11 I'm Here No.3size: h280×w540×180mmmaterial: iron, acrylic paintyear: 2025© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#12 Stars Following Memoriessize: h2170×w2540×1180mmmaterial:stainless steelyear: 2026© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#13 Memory Of The Comet No.17size: h1280×w290×760mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#14 Empathysize: h1100×w1260×290mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#15 A Night Of Connecting Storiessize: h885×w660×670mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#16 Memory Of The Comet No.19size: h960×w620×485mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2025© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#17 I'm Here No.2size: h520×w780×260mmmaterial: iron, acrylic paintyear: 2025© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#18 I'm Here No.4size: h350×w660×250mmmaterial: iron, acrylic paintyear: 2025© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#19 Landing Moonsize: h3200×w1880×3100mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2021© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#20 Memory Of The Comet No.13size: h300×w500×935mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2022© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#21 Memory Of The Comet No.14size: h790×w380×900mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2023© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#22 Memory Of The Starssize: h2530×w3400×1230mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintplace: JA Lake View Hotellocation: Dubai/ UAEyear: 2020© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#23 If You Make It Tonightsize: 1200×w480×1830mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2021© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#24 Freed Starssize: h840×w1380×300mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2021© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#25 Memory Of The Comet No.15size: h960×w745×285mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2023© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#26 A Gaze From The Moonsize: h1300×w400×700mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#27 Daydream No.3size: h690×w740×630mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#28 To The Promised Landsize: h1490×w2080×550mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#29 Uncounted Stars No.15size: h1030×w1070×400mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint, stainless steel paintyear: 2021© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#30 When The World Gazessize: h3230×w2700×1800mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2021© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#31 Good Night No.3size: h1355×w430×400mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2022© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#32 The Sound Of The Wind Blowing Through The Worldsize: h1340×w620×700mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2023© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#33 Memory Of The Comet No.16size: h1145×w410×640mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#34 Memory Of The Comet No.18size: h1120×w450×940mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#35 River Of Primitive Agesize: h535×w920×340mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2024© Photo: tomohiro.inaba#36 Memory Of The Comet No.20size: h785×w490×480mmmaterial: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paintyear: 2025© Photo: tomohiro.inaba