“Creation is my joy. Time flies when I’m creating art. I found something that I could spend my life on.”

Born in Nagoya, Japan, Masanao Hori has loved painting and crafting since he was a little boy. After graduating from high school for tech,
he majored in mechanical engineering at a night college while working for a research institute for Toyota Motor Corporation.

He was impressed with Art Nouveau, Art Déco style glass crafts and other arts at exhibitions and museums that he visited as a pastime. It made
him think that he also wants “I also want to engage in Monozukuri (craftsmanship) and touch people’s hearts.” He resigned from his job
and stepped into the world of glass crafts at the age of 28. Since then, he has been working on stained glass and glass sculpture for 23 years.

He has been creating works that combine practicality and beauty to enrich people’s lives. In 2012, he started his full-scale artist
activities and won prizes at “’15 Japan Glass Exhibition” and “’18 Japan Glass Exhibition” and consecutively won awards at “Heart Art in
TOKYO 2016” and “Heart Art in TOKYO 2017”. He also submitted his artwork to “4th DISCOVER THE ONE JAPANESE ART 2017 (Paris),
Exhibition of MINERVA 2019 (London),” and several other exhibitions. He exhibited his works in Japan and overseas, where he has been receiving high evaluations.

For Hori, creation is a challenge to pragmatize imagination. Based on his skills of design and processing, and supported by his experience of
mechanical engineering, he effectively incorporates glass sculpture, free three-dimensional expression, and other various materials (metal,
wood, stone, etc.) into his artwork. He continues to produce new styles of stained glass works by seeking unique expressions. Hori’s mission is
to deliver “Positive Energy” such as healing, joy, surprise and excitement with the “beauty” generated by glass and light. His theme of “Beautiful Monozukuri (craftsmanship),” tugs at people’s hearts.