Exhibition/event has ended.
Tomoko Nagai Exhibition
Tomio Koyama Gallery Roppongi
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Artists
Tomoko Nagai
Gardens, plants, seasons, the scent of the air, light, the cosmos, animals, stuffed toys, children, rooms... The motifs in Tomoko Nagai’s works are elements she has always kept in her mindーfamiliar things from her childhood, dramatic moments in daily life, and scenes from dreams. She organically connects these with her unique perspective and imagination, allowing them to resonate like a puzzle of colors. She invites us into a new, liberating pictorial space where all things shine as an "unknown but comforting place, a scene we long to see."
Nagai’s work is characterized by layers of materials such as oil paints, watercolors, inks, and colored pencils, combined with intuitive brushstrokes, avoiding limitations in expression. This versatility spans paintings, drawings, sculptures, and costumes. The diversity is reflected in the various shapes—squares, circles, polygons—and sizes, ranging from over 5 meters to pieces small enough to fit in your palm. This variety showcases her approach to freely zooming in or out, capturing the world with wide-angle views, and enjoying the creative process itself.
Her worldview has garnered a large following both in Japan and abroad, with her works held in collections at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Additionally, she has worked on artwork for NHK E-TV programs "Tokidoki Meimei" and "Moya-Moya," illustrated covers for novels like "The Sage on the Hill: Welcome Home, Travelling House" (written by Maha Harada, published by Shueisha Bunko, 2021), and created the main visuals for "Kasumigaura: House for Animals and Everyone," a public space that opened in July 2024 in Ibaraki Prefecture (designed by Ippei Takahashi Architects).
"The World on the Scaffolding Pipes" is a piece that depicts a "World Library" situated on scaffolding pipes—a structure Nagai feels inexplicably drawn to. This work is an experimental attempt at creating an overall image without a central focus, painted as if she’s solving a puzzle only she knows.
"Weeping Cherry Tree" is part of a series she paints every year, where a girl and a horse merge with the surrounding cherry blossoms. It is her most abstract work to date, with layers of paint built up using a knife, resulting in a captivating materiality.
In conjunction with this exhibition, she will also be unveiling and offering for sale a new edition piece, "Fuzzy Little Thing" (created by How2Work, Hong Kong, 80 editions).
Nagai captures radiant, inexpressible entities with a beloved perspective and continues to push the boundaries of artistic expression.
Nagai’s work is characterized by layers of materials such as oil paints, watercolors, inks, and colored pencils, combined with intuitive brushstrokes, avoiding limitations in expression. This versatility spans paintings, drawings, sculptures, and costumes. The diversity is reflected in the various shapes—squares, circles, polygons—and sizes, ranging from over 5 meters to pieces small enough to fit in your palm. This variety showcases her approach to freely zooming in or out, capturing the world with wide-angle views, and enjoying the creative process itself.
Her worldview has garnered a large following both in Japan and abroad, with her works held in collections at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Additionally, she has worked on artwork for NHK E-TV programs "Tokidoki Meimei" and "Moya-Moya," illustrated covers for novels like "The Sage on the Hill: Welcome Home, Travelling House" (written by Maha Harada, published by Shueisha Bunko, 2021), and created the main visuals for "Kasumigaura: House for Animals and Everyone," a public space that opened in July 2024 in Ibaraki Prefecture (designed by Ippei Takahashi Architects).
"The World on the Scaffolding Pipes" is a piece that depicts a "World Library" situated on scaffolding pipes—a structure Nagai feels inexplicably drawn to. This work is an experimental attempt at creating an overall image without a central focus, painted as if she’s solving a puzzle only she knows.
"Weeping Cherry Tree" is part of a series she paints every year, where a girl and a horse merge with the surrounding cherry blossoms. It is her most abstract work to date, with layers of paint built up using a knife, resulting in a captivating materiality.
In conjunction with this exhibition, she will also be unveiling and offering for sale a new edition piece, "Fuzzy Little Thing" (created by How2Work, Hong Kong, 80 editions).
Nagai captures radiant, inexpressible entities with a beloved perspective and continues to push the boundaries of artistic expression.
Schedule | Sep 14 (Sat) 2024-Oct 12 (Sat) 2024 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Sep 14 (Sat) 2024 17:00 - 19:00 | ||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | http://tomiokoyamagallery.com/exhibitions/tomokonagai2024/ | ||||
| Venue | Tomio Koyama Gallery Roppongi http://www.tomiokoyamagallery.com/ | ||||
| Location | 2F Complex665, 6-5-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032 | ||||
| Access | 2 minute walk from exit 1b at Roppongi Station on the Hbiya or Toei Oedo line, 8 minute walk from exit 7 at Azabu-juban Station on the Nanboku or Toei Oedo line, 11 minute walk from exit 5 at Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6434-7225 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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