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.

#1 Hearing Footsteps Left By A Star

size: h960×w1000×400mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2021

Tomohiro’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 Innocent Star

size: h1215×w580×275mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#3 Choice Of The Story

size: h1540×w500×400mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

This 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 Kindness

size: h1430×w2800×650mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#5 When The World Strains Its Ears

size: h1265×w700×785mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#6 Continue

size: h1420×w2190×570mm material: stainless steel year: 2025

#7 Memories Of The Beginning

size: h1870×w2000×550mm material: stainless steel year: 2026

#8 The Praying Stars

size: h1430×w870×320mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#9 The Night Your Voice Is Heard

size: h1125×w700×630mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#10 Memory Of The Comet No.17

size: h1280×w290×760mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#11 Empathy

size: h1100×w1260×290mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#12 Memory Of The Comet No.19

size: h960×w620×485mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2025

#13 I'm Here No.1

size: h345×w550×190mm material: iron, acrylic paint year: 2025

#14 I'm Here No.3

size: h280×w540×180mm material: iron, acrylic paint year: 2025

#15 Stars Following Memories

size: h2170×w2540×1180mm material:stainless steel year: 2026

#16 A Night Of Connecting Stories

size: h885×w660×670mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#17 Memory Of The Comet No.14

size: h790×w380×900mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2023

#18 I'm Here No.2

size: h520×w780×260mm material: iron, acrylic paint year: 2025

#19 I'm Here No.4

size: h350×w660×250mm material: iron, acrylic paint year: 2025

#20 Memory Of The Stars

size: h2530×w3400×1230mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint place: JA Lake View Hotel location: Dubai/ UAE year: 2020

#21 Freed Stars

size: h840×w1380×300mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2021

#22 Landing Moon

size: h3200×w1880×3100mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2021

#23 Memory Of The Comet No.13

size: h300×w500×935mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2022

#24 A Gaze From The Moon

size: h1300×w400×700mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#25 If You Make It Tonight

size: 1200×w480×1830mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2021

#26 Memory Of The Comet No.15

size: h960×w745×285mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2023

#27 Memory Of The Comet No.18

size: h1120×w450×940mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#28 River Of Primitive Age

size: h535×w920×340mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#29 Daydream No.3

size: h690×w740×630mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#30 To The Promised Land

size: h1490×w2080×550mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#31 Uncounted Stars No.15

size: h1030×w1070×400mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint, stainless steel paint year: 2021

#32 When The World Gazes

size: h3230×w2700×1800mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2021

#33 Good Night No.3

size: h1355×w430×400mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2022

#34 The Sound Of The Wind Blowing Through The World

size: h1340×w620×700mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2023

#35 Memory Of The Comet No.16

size: h1145×w410×640mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2024

#36 Memory Of The Comet No.20

size: h785×w490×480mm material: iron, urethan paint, acrylic paint year: 2025

WHATS CRACKIN

Tomohiro Inaba Creates 36 Steel Sculptures Where Imagination Completes The Artwork