Arashi Tanaka (b. 2000, Fukuoka) is a Japanese artist based in Tokyo, Japan. He graduated from the Department of Architecture and Environmental Design at Tama Art University in 2022. Subsequently, he obtained a Graduate Diploma in Fine Art, awarded with distinction, at the University of the Arts London in 2024.

Tanaka works primarily through crystallisation: a mineral-based solution that forms over several days into solid crystals across the surface of his own photographs of people and places. As each piece grows, he plays a sound related to the image—such as the sound of the sea or the subject’s own heartbeat—through a speaker beside it; the vibration shapes the crystal’s irregular, unrepeatable growth. Across the Portrait series and the Crystalscape series works, the crystal becomes a vessel for what time would otherwise erase: memory, lifespan, and the character of a place. His works leverage the phenomena and inherent characteristics of nature to explore expression while investigating and pursuing the ephemeral and pure beauty of nature. This inspiration stems from his deep connection with nature, beginning with surfing from the age of three, which has shaped his sense of distance and his appreciation for the beauty of nature.

In 2024, Tanaka received the British Institution Fund Award at the Royal Academy of Arts’ RA Summer Exhibition, the world’s oldest open-submission exhibition, for his Portrait series. He has held solo exhibitions at Nomadic Gallery, Tokyo; 70 Square Metres, the artist residency programme by Pearl Lam, Shanghai; and Tsutaya, Kyoto. His group presentations include shows at BBA Gallery, Berlin, and Safehouse, London.