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Tetsuya Nakamura "Go Figure"
Nanzuka Underground
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Tetsuya Nakamura
Nanzuka is pleased to present GO FIGURE, a solo exhibition of new works by Nagano-based artist Tetsuya Nakamura at Nanzuka Underground.
Nakamura (b.1968, Chiba Prefecture), who studied Urushi-Art (Japanese Lacquer) at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, reinterprets the materials and techniques of traditional crafts to produce sculptural works of various forms that bring focus to the input that visual information can potentially have on living things. Since 1998, he has developed a sculptural work titled Replica Series that replicate jet aircrafts under themes such as “speed” and “remodeling” that serve as symbols of contemporary society. In recent years he has produced robot works that take on the aesthetics of weathering observed in custom paint culture, as well as sculptural works that evoke life forms such as animals, plants, and monsters.
Nakamura’s work can be interpreted as a genealogy of the Italian avant-garde art movement of Futurism. However, more recently he has focused on incorporating more organic and biological information into his oeuvre, going beyond themes such as the visualization of centralized energy and functions, enabling us viewers to also imagine the aesthetics of artificial life forms that may come to exist in a distant future.
Presented on the first floor of the gallery are new works from Nakamura’s Flame Line Series consisting of large-scale vehicle-shaped sculptures, while the second floor showcases Flame Beast, a new series that he has focused on producing in recent years. The exhibition serves as a platform to introduce a new direction in Nakamura’s artistic practice, which interweaves the aesthetics of mechanical engineering with the organic beauty of nature.
“GO FIGURE” derives from the slang term meaning “incomprehensible” or “mysterious.” The feeling of ecstasy we feel when we come into contact with an aesthetic object is always somewhat enigmatic. Taking this sensation as a starting point, this exhibition is an attempt to explore figure that fascinate human beings in a universal and fundamental way.
The exhibition features a number of motifs such as automobiles, motorcycles, and monsters, which are often deemed as “childish” in the eyes of society. Although these may not “roar” in a practical sense, they do have a “GO FIGURE” appeal.
Nakamura (b.1968, Chiba Prefecture), who studied Urushi-Art (Japanese Lacquer) at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, reinterprets the materials and techniques of traditional crafts to produce sculptural works of various forms that bring focus to the input that visual information can potentially have on living things. Since 1998, he has developed a sculptural work titled Replica Series that replicate jet aircrafts under themes such as “speed” and “remodeling” that serve as symbols of contemporary society. In recent years he has produced robot works that take on the aesthetics of weathering observed in custom paint culture, as well as sculptural works that evoke life forms such as animals, plants, and monsters.
Nakamura’s work can be interpreted as a genealogy of the Italian avant-garde art movement of Futurism. However, more recently he has focused on incorporating more organic and biological information into his oeuvre, going beyond themes such as the visualization of centralized energy and functions, enabling us viewers to also imagine the aesthetics of artificial life forms that may come to exist in a distant future.
Presented on the first floor of the gallery are new works from Nakamura’s Flame Line Series consisting of large-scale vehicle-shaped sculptures, while the second floor showcases Flame Beast, a new series that he has focused on producing in recent years. The exhibition serves as a platform to introduce a new direction in Nakamura’s artistic practice, which interweaves the aesthetics of mechanical engineering with the organic beauty of nature.
“GO FIGURE” derives from the slang term meaning “incomprehensible” or “mysterious.” The feeling of ecstasy we feel when we come into contact with an aesthetic object is always somewhat enigmatic. Taking this sensation as a starting point, this exhibition is an attempt to explore figure that fascinate human beings in a universal and fundamental way.
The exhibition features a number of motifs such as automobiles, motorcycles, and monsters, which are often deemed as “childish” in the eyes of society. Although these may not “roar” in a practical sense, they do have a “GO FIGURE” appeal.
Schedule | Jun 28 (Sat) 2025-Aug 2 (Sat) 2025 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Jun 28 (Sat) 2025 16:00 - 19:00 | ||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://nanzuka.com/en/exhibitions/tetsuya-nakamura-go-figure/press-release | ||||
| Venue | Nanzuka Underground http://www.nug.jp | ||||
| Location | 3-30-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 | ||||
| Access | 8 minute walk from exit 5 at Meiji-jingumae Station on the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines, 10 minute walk from the Takeshita exit of Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-5422-3877 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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