《clara’s bed》2017 130.3×162.0cm oil on canvasJapan has become a wealthy country following the post-war recovery to high economic growth, which enabled especially the women to live diverse ways of living and have new values which were completely incomparable with the past. It is said that gender stereotypes have become less prominent and today is even celebrated as an age for women’s empowerment, yet behind the scenes, there has been a long history with highlights and shadows.
Gallery Yamaki Fine Art has been introducing many solo exhibitions of women artists. Through engaging with these artists, we have come to realize that they did not always receive the right evaluation, and noticed furthermore of their difficulties of having to face institutional, social and notional barriers. On the other hand, keeping distance with such oppression, these women never gave up in presenting their works and challenged new mediums with a persistent attitude to pursue new and unique expressions.
By revisiting such backgrounds and expressions, we trace back the path of how women today have come to express their languages. And by doing so, we will question on what basis the artists had been evaluated, and how they have changed. Taking into consideration, the situations of art, women and the social backgrounds that surrounded the two, this exhibition is the fourth one featuring Asuka NAKAYAMA to search for a deeper understanding.
NAKAYAMA paints on huge canvases. We cannot help noticing the uncanny scenery in which neatly arranged furniture and vegetated garden are integrated. Suggested in there is the unique relationship of today between human beings and the nature. The latest work done for this exhibition is her expression of overprotectiveness of today replaced by nature. Big change in her life (she‘s had a baby) caused changes in her artwork: she started to draw more about events and impressions of daily life or personal experiences and feelings. Photographs and drawings of her hometown sceneries, or the magazine photogravure are main subject materials for her paintings. They are painted and collaged flat on canvas and a sort of contradictive space of the real and of the paintings is created.
She depicts a closed space in which the motifs of children or ones of protectiveness are drawn with garden-like scenery. Ever since she‘s been given a child, she’s come to be very cautious against external factors and has had much negative fancy and fear of losing her child. Perhaps she has been too protective against external stimuli and such attitude might be poisonous to a child. This overprotectiveness is also applied to plants caring. A greenhouse is a desirable place for plants to grow but also apt to auto intoxication. Nakayama, who was brought up in the countryside and has been thinking a lot about the nature and its relationship to humans, has drawn a set of paintings full of satire. In them, her critical point of view can be felt strongly.
We hope you will enjoy her new work on this opportunity.
【Selected solo Exhibitions】
2023'Solo Show,' Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2019'Solo Show,' Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2017'Solo Show,' ELSA ART GALLERY, Taipei
2017'Solo Show,' Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2017'Solo Show,' Gallery 16, Kyoto
2017Art Fair Tokyo 2017 Gallery Yamaki Fine Art booth
2016'Solo Show,' Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe
2015‘Asuka NAKAYAMA –Niwasaki Kaiga 360°’, Okanoyama Museum of Art Nishiwaki, Hyogo
2011empirical garden, INAX Gallery 2, Tokyo
2011‘-florid table-‘, Gallery 16, Kyoto
【Selected Group Exhibitions】
2023”Summer night's dream" - Exhibition of female artists, emmy art+, Tokyo
2022'Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2022
2021‘Kyoto Art For Tomorrow 2021’, The Museum of Kyoto, Kyoto
2019’Flower and Art’, Okanoyama Museum of Art Nishiwaki, Hyogo
2019’VOCA exhibition 2019 The Vision Contemporary Art’, The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo
2019'Taipei Dangdai Art &Ideas', Gallery Yamaki Fine Art booth, Taiwan
2018‘Tamba Sasayama Machinami Art Festival 2018’, Kawaramnachi, Tsumairi Shoukagun, Hyogo
2017Elsa Art Gallery booth, 2017 Young Art Taipei, Taipei
2017‘Renewal Open Exhibition’, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art Oji Branch Haradanomori Gallery, Hyogo
2016Elsa Art Gallery booth, Art Taipei 2016, Taipei
2016‘Tamba Sasayama Machinami Art Festival 2016’, Kawaramnachi, Tsumairi Shoukagun, Hyogo
2011‘2010 Mitsubishi Shoji Art Gate Program Scholarship Exhibition, Omote-sando GYRE, Tokyo
2010‘Kyoto City University of Arts Exhibition’, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
‘Art Award Tokyo Marunouchi 2010’, Gyoko Chika Gallery, Tokyo
2009‘Art1Camp 2009’, Gallery Yamaguchi Kunstbau, Osaka
2008‘Three persons exhibition’, Gallery Scarborough, Kyoto
‘via art OSAKA 2008’, Breeze Tower 7F, Osaka
【Awards】
2021’Kyoto Art for Tomorrow 2021’, Kyoto Shinbun Award
2010Kyoto City University of Arts Exhibition: Kyoto Mayor's prize
2008via art OSAKA 2008: Digmeout prize
【Artist Information】
Asuka NAKAYAMA
SessionSat. Jul 15, 2017 - Fri. Aug 11, 2017 Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Hours11:00－13:00 / 14:00－19:00
PlaceGallery Yamaki Fine Art
Venue3-9-5-2F Motomachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0022
ContactTEL: 078-391-1666 FAX : 078-391-1667 MAIL: info@gyfa.co.jp
AccessOne minute walk from Motomachi Station, West exit (JR/ Hanshin Line)
ChargeFree
