Hiro Ando was born in 1973 in Japan.

Ando is a Contemporary multi-disciplinary artist. He began his career as an illustrator after graduating from the University of Tama Art in Tokyo, producing popular works that blended Eastern and Western pop culture. Ando’s work conflates traditional and modern Japanese archetypes like Hello Kitty, the panda, the samurai, and the sumo wrestler, creating a dialogue between the traditional past and present culture. Known for his stable of reoccurring original characters, such as Sumocat and Big Samurai, Ando creates sculptures out of resin, bronze, porcelain, and even diamonds. His friendly, anthropomorphized animal figurines are interpreted as a contemporary take on the traditional maneki-neko, or lucky cat, sculptures that are prevalent in Japanese stores, restaurants, and other businesses.

In 2005, Ando co-founded an artist collaborative and studio known as Crazynoodles.