Born in Tokyo in 1956, Masayuki Kanda is a highly regarded international glass artist and educator. After completing his formal 3D and craft design training at Tama Art University in the early 1980s, Kanda embarked on an extensive, decade-long journey through Europe's elite glass-making circuits. He served as a studio assistant to legendary European glass masters in Germany and Denmark, absorbing advanced hot-glass techniques and industrial design philosophies.
Kanda's global perspective eventually extended to Southeast Asia, most notably through high-profile artistic exchanges in the Philippines. In 1997, he co-staged a landmark exhibition alongside the celebrated Filipina sculptor Impy Pilapil at the historic Galleria Duemila, bridging the contemporary glass sculpture movements of Tokyo and Manila. In 1996, he formalized his independent practice by establishing the Kanda Glass Studio in Saitama Prefecture, which serves as his primary base for ongoing architectural commissions and studio experimentation.
Education & European Mentorship
1982: Graduated from the Design Department (3D Design Course, Craft Design Class) – Tama Art University, Tokyo, Japan.
1982–1983: Studio Assistant to master glass artist Udo Edelmann – Glashaus Am Wasserturm, Rheinbach, Germany.
1983: Studio Assistant to studio glass pioneer Finn Lynggaard – Ebeltoft Glas, Ebeltoft, Denmark.
1985–1987: Teaching Assistant (Department of 3D Design) – Tama Art University, Tokyo, Japan.
1989–1991: Recipient – Danish Government Scholarship.
1989–1990: Advanced Glass Course – Skolen for Brugskunst (Denmark's Designskole), Copenhagen, Denmark.
1989–1993: Research Fellow – Wall and Space Art Laboratory, Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Selected Exhibitions & International Showcases
1997: Glass (Landmark two-man exhibition alongside master sculptor Impy Pilapil) – Galleria Duemila, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City, Philippines.
1996: Glass '96 in Japan – Odakyu Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
1995–1996: Solo Exhibition – Gallery 6, Tokyo, Japan.
1995: Shaking Hands Through Art – Cultural Exchange Exhibition, Manila, Philippines.
1993: Group Survey – Brøndsalen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
1987: Solo Exhibition – Kiyose City Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
1986: Neues Glas aus Japan und Amerika (New Glass from Japan and America) – Gewerbemuseum Basel / Museum für Gestaltung, Basel, Switzerland.
1986: Dual-Artist Exhibition – Takashimaya Department Store, Tokyo, Japan.
