Nami Yokoyama "Delivering Presence"
Parcel
Starts 4/25
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Artists
Nami Yokoyama
PARCEL is pleased to present Delivering Presence, a solo exhibition by Nami Yokoyama. Yokoyama's artistic practice has been consistently driven by an inquiry into how the apparatus of painting can deconstruct and reconstruct the historical distance she feels toward the Western tradition of "oil painting," alongside the emotional catalysts of "unrequited longing" and "inferiority". In her early series, The First Object, she employed meticulous realist techniques to depict items destined for disposal, such as toilet paper cores. The series is an attempt to liberate such things from the functional purpose that had defined their value, converting them into presences that simply exist. In doing so, the work subverts existing systems of value while reflecting on the very necessity of painting.
The Neon series, developed from 2016 onward, sought to make visible the "unseen presences" that support a structure. Electrical wiring and frames concealed behind luminous glass tubing are rendered with painstaking attention to detail. While bearing the qualities of an introspective self-portrait in which reflections of herself can be seen on the subject, this work can also be understood as a deconstructive approach that lays bare the material tensions existing behind the light.
However, social turbulence and an unprecedented pandemic that followed in quick succession disrupted the inward focus of Yokoyama's thinking, compelling her to reconsider the role of autonomous painting. What had once been a journey of self-inquiry was transformed, through the experience of social isolation from the world, into a pressing need to ask "how might we connect with others". This shift carried Yokoyama's works beyond the boundaries of the self, toward an open form of expression which made room for the presence of others. Moving from introspective self-inquiry toward a more open expression, one carried by the awareness that "someone is here," Yokoyama embarks on a new series by "tracing another's handwriting" in the Shape of Your Words. This recent series evolved into the new work Shape of Your Response, in which a friend replies to a question posed by the artist. Words are stripped of their dictionary meanings and given a "body" in neon form, turning into a mark that carries another person's presence beyond the bounds of language.
This exhibition also introduces a new installation made of tin. Each year of the artist's life is marked by a single cast taken from the one before. The materiality of tin gradually losing its shape through repetition resonates with the nature of “words” as they spread through the world and become more vague in their definitions. The work also serves as a metaphor that bridges the artist's own finite "life-time" with the presence of others. Running through all of Yokoyama's work is a disposition toward the presences and relationships that lie behind visible form. Taking the material structure of neon and the words as markings as a point of departure, her works direct our attention toward the physical form and presence that exist behind them.
Departing from introspective questioning, Yokoyama's practice has gradually expanded in the direction of taking in the presence of others and embracing those relationships. By carefully attending to overlooked subjects and words, Yokoyama captures the latent presence within each subject on to her painting to share with the viewers. The exhibition title Delivering Presence speaks directly to the heart of Yokoyama's practice.
The Neon series, developed from 2016 onward, sought to make visible the "unseen presences" that support a structure. Electrical wiring and frames concealed behind luminous glass tubing are rendered with painstaking attention to detail. While bearing the qualities of an introspective self-portrait in which reflections of herself can be seen on the subject, this work can also be understood as a deconstructive approach that lays bare the material tensions existing behind the light.
However, social turbulence and an unprecedented pandemic that followed in quick succession disrupted the inward focus of Yokoyama's thinking, compelling her to reconsider the role of autonomous painting. What had once been a journey of self-inquiry was transformed, through the experience of social isolation from the world, into a pressing need to ask "how might we connect with others". This shift carried Yokoyama's works beyond the boundaries of the self, toward an open form of expression which made room for the presence of others. Moving from introspective self-inquiry toward a more open expression, one carried by the awareness that "someone is here," Yokoyama embarks on a new series by "tracing another's handwriting" in the Shape of Your Words. This recent series evolved into the new work Shape of Your Response, in which a friend replies to a question posed by the artist. Words are stripped of their dictionary meanings and given a "body" in neon form, turning into a mark that carries another person's presence beyond the bounds of language.
This exhibition also introduces a new installation made of tin. Each year of the artist's life is marked by a single cast taken from the one before. The materiality of tin gradually losing its shape through repetition resonates with the nature of “words” as they spread through the world and become more vague in their definitions. The work also serves as a metaphor that bridges the artist's own finite "life-time" with the presence of others. Running through all of Yokoyama's work is a disposition toward the presences and relationships that lie behind visible form. Taking the material structure of neon and the words as markings as a point of departure, her works direct our attention toward the physical form and presence that exist behind them.
Departing from introspective questioning, Yokoyama's practice has gradually expanded in the direction of taking in the presence of others and embracing those relationships. By carefully attending to overlooked subjects and words, Yokoyama captures the latent presence within each subject on to her painting to share with the viewers. The exhibition title Delivering Presence speaks directly to the heart of Yokoyama's practice.
Schedule | Apr 25 (Sat) 2026-Jun 7 (Sun) 2026 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Apr 24 (Fri) 2026 18:00 - 21:00 | ||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://parceltokyo.jp/exhibition/delivering-presence/ | ||||
| Venue | Parcel http://parceltokyo.jp/ | ||||
| Location | 1F DDD hotel, 2-2-1 Nihombashi, Bakurocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0002 | ||||
| Access | 1 minute walk from exit C4 at Bakurocho Station on the JR Sobu line, 5 minute walk from the East exit of Asakusa-bashi Station on the JR Chuo Sobu line, 5 minute walk from exit A2 at Asakusa-bashi Station on the Toei Asakusa line. | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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