This sculpture, titled Love Peace Friendship, was created in 2009 in Yeongwol, Korea, by Japanese sculptor Yasushi Hori.
Artist: Yasushi Hori. He is a renowned Japanese stone sculptor who has participated in numerous international sculpture symposia around the world.
Title: Love Peace Friendship.
Material: Granite.
Location & Date: Created during the Yeongwol International Sculpture Symposium in Yeongwol, Korea, in 2009.
Concept & Theme: Love Peace Friendship is a monumental granite sculpture that explores the universal ideals of love, peace, and friendship through the relationship between solid stone and organic form. The work retains the massive, roughly worked exterior of the granite block while carving a softer, flowing composition into its center.
The central opening reveals two opposing yet interlocking forms that appear to lean toward and embrace one another. Their curved surfaces create a sense of connection, intimacy, and mutual dependence, while the surrounding stone frame provides a strong architectural enclosure. The negative space between the forms is particularly important, transforming the solid block into a symbolic meeting place where separate elements become connected.
The contrast between the rough outer surface and the smoothly carved inner forms suggests the transformation of conflict and separation into harmony. The natural weight and permanence of granite reinforce the enduring character of the three ideas expressed in the title: love, peace, and friendship.
The sculpture can also be viewed as an abstract representation of two individuals or communities coming together. Rather than depicting human figures literally, Hori uses simplified organic volumes to express human relationships at a more universal level. The central opening allows light, air, and the surrounding landscape to pass through the sculpture, further emphasizing openness, communication, and coexistence.
Through its combination of mass and void, roughness and smoothness, separation and connection, Love Peace Friendship presents a quiet but powerful statement about human relationships. The work suggests that peace and friendship are created not by eliminating differences, but by allowing separate forms to coexist and support one another within a shared space.
