Nao Utsunomiya "Buffering Child"
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Nao Utsunomiya
Kameido Art Center is pleased to present BUFFERING CHILD, a solo exhibition by Nao Utsunomiya.
This marks Utsunomiya’s first solo exhibition at KAC in two years. During that time, she has continued to present her work in solo and group exhibitions, gradually expanding the scope of her practice.
In addition to pencil, which has long been one of her primary mediums, Utsunomiya has recently begun working with transparent watercolor, bringing changes to the role of color within her work. Her subject matter has also expanded beyond the young girls who have long been central to her practice, and now includes plants, insects, fish, and other living creatures. By overlapping these creatures—symbols of sensations closer to instinct—with the desires and impulses that exist within her figures, Utsunomiya continues to explore new forms of expression.
When attempting to depict humans and other living creatures as a single being, however, the two do not always merge completely. At times, the creatures appear almost like costumes or coverings, while parts that remain recognizably human are left visible. Through this process, Utsunomiya became aware of the presence of a certain “line” or boundary that she had been unconsciously drawing.
While she seeks to depict sensations closer to instinct, she also tries to hold them within a certain form through her own perception and control. Rather than moving entirely toward one side or the other, her work moves back and forth between the two. This state also overlaps with the “dilemmas of girlhood” that Utsunomiya has explored in her previous work. As the artist herself has noted, the boundaries that emerge are not simply something she wishes to erase.
The word “BUFFERING” in the exhibition title BUFFERING CHILD refers to the state in which data, such as a video, is still being loaded.
Utsunomiya continues to wonder whether there might be another way to draw, or whether she can push her work further, without yet arriving at a definitive answer. The word “BUFFERING” reflects this present state of her practice—a state of still being in process.
At the same time, this state is not simply a transitional phase on the way toward a single completed form. Between human and creature, instinct and self-restraint, what one intends to depict and what actually appears on the page, boundaries continue to emerge. Rather than eliminating them, Utsunomiya remains within these in-between spaces, exploring the relationship between her own perceptions and the forms they take in her work. Her current practice exists within this ongoing process of experimentation.
Through works in pencil and transparent watercolor, as well as original manga drawings, this exhibition presents Utsunomiya’s evolving practice and where she finds herself after the past two years of continued exploration.
This marks Utsunomiya’s first solo exhibition at KAC in two years. During that time, she has continued to present her work in solo and group exhibitions, gradually expanding the scope of her practice.
In addition to pencil, which has long been one of her primary mediums, Utsunomiya has recently begun working with transparent watercolor, bringing changes to the role of color within her work. Her subject matter has also expanded beyond the young girls who have long been central to her practice, and now includes plants, insects, fish, and other living creatures. By overlapping these creatures—symbols of sensations closer to instinct—with the desires and impulses that exist within her figures, Utsunomiya continues to explore new forms of expression.
When attempting to depict humans and other living creatures as a single being, however, the two do not always merge completely. At times, the creatures appear almost like costumes or coverings, while parts that remain recognizably human are left visible. Through this process, Utsunomiya became aware of the presence of a certain “line” or boundary that she had been unconsciously drawing.
While she seeks to depict sensations closer to instinct, she also tries to hold them within a certain form through her own perception and control. Rather than moving entirely toward one side or the other, her work moves back and forth between the two. This state also overlaps with the “dilemmas of girlhood” that Utsunomiya has explored in her previous work. As the artist herself has noted, the boundaries that emerge are not simply something she wishes to erase.
The word “BUFFERING” in the exhibition title BUFFERING CHILD refers to the state in which data, such as a video, is still being loaded.
Utsunomiya continues to wonder whether there might be another way to draw, or whether she can push her work further, without yet arriving at a definitive answer. The word “BUFFERING” reflects this present state of her practice—a state of still being in process.
At the same time, this state is not simply a transitional phase on the way toward a single completed form. Between human and creature, instinct and self-restraint, what one intends to depict and what actually appears on the page, boundaries continue to emerge. Rather than eliminating them, Utsunomiya remains within these in-between spaces, exploring the relationship between her own perceptions and the forms they take in her work. Her current practice exists within this ongoing process of experimentation.
Through works in pencil and transparent watercolor, as well as original manga drawings, this exhibition presents Utsunomiya’s evolving practice and where she finds herself after the past two years of continued exploration.
Schedule | Oct 1 (Thu) 2026-Oct 13 (Tue) 2026 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||
| Website | https://kac.amebaownd.com/posts/59233128 | ||
| Venue | Kameido Art Center https://kac.amebaownd.com/ | ||
| Address | 101 KK Bldg., 9-17-8 Kameido, Koto-ku, Tokyo 136-0071 | ||
| Access | 12 minute walk from the Ojima exit of Higashi-ojima Station on the Toei Shinjuku line, 13 minute walk from exit 2 at Kameidosuijin Station on the Tobu Kameido line. | ||
| Phone | 090-5433-0883 |
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