104GALERIE (Nakameguro, Tokyo) is holding the solo exhibition “Only Counting the Winters” by Aron Demetz from February 28 (Sat.) to April 3 (Fri.) 2026. This is Demetz’ debut solo show in Japan, and features 19 new wooden sculptural pieces.

Aron Demetz was born in 1972 in Val Gardena, Italy, where he remains based to this day. Val Gardena is an area with a long history of wooden sculpture, where many artists live and produce work. Demetz is a pioneering figure who is rooted in the traditional wooden sculpture techniques of the region, yet has incorporated the context of contemporary sculpture, and has come to occupy an important position in the international scene. He has submitted work to the Venezia Biennale three times, and his work has been exhibited in many galleries and museums across the globe.

Although Demetz has primarily worked on life-sized figurative wooden sculptures, he has recently broadened his field of production to small and medium-sized abstract pieces. By distancing himself from expressing figures, he has engaged more directly with the time and materiality inherent to wood as a medium.
The works introduced in this exhibition are produced from redwood that was collected in the Trentino Alto Adige of Italy in the late 19th century. Demetz has scraped away the soft spring wood from the naturally formed growth rings of these trees, leaving only the denser winter wood. Through this process, the works visualize layers of time, growth and aging, accumulation and disappearance, and through a metaphor of winter, years engraved within the wood are quietly expressed.
The way that an accumulation of small elements eventually forms a huge tree, and the balance of fragility and strength hidden in delicate layers that support natural structures are revealed in these pieces as original stories told only by the trees themselves.

An opening reception with the artist will be held on February 28 (Sat.) from 17:00. We hope to see you there.