Higashida’s view on the world and humankind in large part stems from his childhood and memories of his mother. A survivor of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, Higashida’s mother shared her experiences with her son, and it is her memories that have taught him the value of life. Jonathan Goodman has aptly described Higashida’s works: “Higashida’s abstraction removes him from the claim that human activities such as enduring suffering and promoting peace are meant to be expressed in fully human, that is to say figurative, terms. … [His work] involves the presentation of suffering as an abstract entity intended to revisit vulnerability and grief in wholly innocent terms.” – “The Weight of Memory,” Sculpture Magazine, April 2005, p.48-49

Born in Hiroshima in 1958, Higashida graduated from Nihon University College of Art, Japan in 1984. He continued his studies at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Immediately after receiving his graduate degree in 1986, Higashida relocated to New York City, entering the New York Studio School in 1988. Higashida’s works have been exhibited in the United States and Japan and his most recent exhibitions include: solo shows at the Robert Steele Gallery, New York, NY in 2005 and 2003; a group exhibition May Peace Prevail on Earth at the Mtoazabu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2004); and a one-person show at the Contemporary Sculpture Center, Tokyo, Japan (1999).