How can one capture invisible forces like wind, gravity, motion, and balance in visual art? For Japanese kinetic sculptor, installation artist, and author Susumu Shingu, the answer lies beyond the four corners of a canvas, and requires playfully engaging with space and the elements in real time. In his first museum solo show in the United States, the artist is bringing his animated sculptures and maquettes to the Japan Society in New York City for Susumu Shingu: Elated!, on view from June 20 through August 10.At nearly 88 years old, Shingu has devoted his career to transcribing the physics of nature through gargantuan, technologically elevated sculptures. And yet, with so much wisdom and experience under his belt, the artist has never lost sight of his inner child’s imagination and curiosity. It’s these qualities, coupled with thoughtful collaborations with like-minded engineers and fabricators, that make Shingu’s sculptural practice so bewitching.In an interview with Hyperallergic, Shingu explained that this fervor for unseen forces is rooted in feeling “so lucky to be born on this planet as a human being.”“You know, this is a miracle,” Shingu said of existing on Earth, something we all take for granted whether we realize it or not. “And I want to express that happiness.”Left: Susumu Shingu, “Distant Sky” (2012) outside Mercedes House at 550 West 54th Street, New York (photo by Yasuko Shingu)Right: Susumu Shingu, “Birth of Rainbow” (2021) at 565 Broome Street in New York (photo by Nathan Shapiro)Born in Osaka, the artist studied oil painting at the Tokyo University of Arts and later, through a government scholarship, at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma in Italy, where he also worked as a tour guide for Japanese visitors through his 20s. At the advice of Japanese shipyard president Kageki Minami, Shingu returned home to further develop his pivot from painting to dimensional work, enhancing his knowledge with a studio residency at Minami’s shipyard, where he studied shipbuilding and aerodynamics. Within two years of his return to Japan, Shingu presented a solo exhibition of his sculptures and was subsequently tapped for the 1970 World Expo in Osaka. Susumu Shingu, “Legend Island” (2013) (photo © Shingu Atelier Co., Ltd.)Soon after, Shingu became the visiting artist at Harvard University’s Carpenter Center for Visual Arts. This move to the United States opened the artist up to myriad international public art commissions in parks, plazas, and high-traffic interiors; invaluable friendships with influential designers and architects like Charles Eames, Renzo Piano, and Isamu Noguchi; and new avenues to express his gratitude for the privilege of simply being a human being.In addition to creating monumental kinetic works made from aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, and “other materials found on this planet,” Shingu also embarked on a lifelong mission of engaging with children through illustrated books, theatrical performances, and character design.Left: Susumu Shingu showcases preliminary sketches for a puppet design of his literary character, Sandalino.Right: Susumu Shingu, “Dialog with the Sun” (1995), Queens Criminal Court, New York (photo by Yasuko Shingu)“My message for children is caring for the Earth, so I think to connect with the nature from childhood is very important,” Shingu told Hyperallergic, noting that his own upbringing is incomparable to the lives of children today due to technological advancements. As part of Elated! at the Japan Society, some of the artist’s children’s books will be available for perusal, including Strawberries (1975), Spider (1979), and two books featuring his character Sandalino, a precious extraterrestrial being and fierce protector of Earth’s environment and resources.Susumu Shingu, “Silent Water” (2024) (photo © Yumi Shingu)Susumu Shingu and his life and work partner, Yumi Shingu, photographed in front of the artist’s “Future Forest” (2024), installed at Fubon Xinyi A25, in Taipei, Taiwan. (photo © Shingu Atelier Co., Ltd.)The exhibition will also feature Shingu’s “superlight” suspended sculptures — each weighing no more than 22 lbs — that gently respond to the drafts and air conditioning throughout the Japan Society’s gallery space, a makeshift glimpse into the artist’s studio with preliminary sketches and handmade maquettes, and a variety of enormous kinetic standing works channeling organic and cosmic shapes and motions.“The world’s condition is rapidly changing every single day, but my position hasn’t changed much,” Shingu said. “I still keep saying the same thing from the beginning until today — we must keep caring for Earth. For nature.”On Wednesday, June 18, Shingu will host an off-site artist talk concerning his monumental site-specific installations in New York City in conjunction with Elated!