Masao Omiya was born 1930 in Mizusawa (Iwate Prefecture). He joined the Iwate Art Institute in 1948, and enrolled at the Department of Painting at Iwate School of Art and Design (now part of Morioka Junior College). In 1960, he initiated Iwate Art Conference and became its first chairman. Between 1963 and 1969, Omiya was one of the leaders of the radical art collective “Group N39,” leaving a lasting impression on the art scene in Iwate and contributing to the concept of the avant-garde as a movement that extends beyond the main artistic centers such as Tokyo and the Kansai area.

Since the late 1960s Omiya has been fascinated by the impact of velocity and speed on human perception, culminating in his concept of “art of the homo-movens.” He has applied his ideas to a wide range of media, including multi-colored woodblock prints, sculpture and objects. At the age of over 80, Omiya still had the curiosity of a young man, and the energy of burning lava. He believed that art in the 21st century will have to continue tackling the imagination. His series of drawings “Absent or Present” focuses on images seen by the internal eye.
Passed away on 10th November 2022 (Age 92).