Ikumi Nagasawa
Maybe So, Maybe Not
20.08 ~ 01.09. 2024
11:00 -18:00, Mon.- closed
Gallery G-77 presents "Maybe So, Maybe Not," a solo exhibition by Tokyo-based artist Ikumi Nagasawa. The exhibition will showcase Nagasawa's latest work, including new oil paintings, pencil-on-paper drawings, and recent figurine sculptures she began creating in 2023. Through these pieces, Nagasawa tenderly captures the fleeting and complex emotions of everyday life, transforming personal experiences into poetic stories that resonate on a universal level.
The title "Maybe So, Maybe Not" reflects Nagasawa's fascination with the ambiguity and uncertainty of existence. She suggests that the world is in a constant state of flux, where boundaries are blurred, and nothing is absolute. In her own words, she enjoys the phrase "maybe" because it allows her to embrace the notion that not everything has a definitive answer. This perspective is central to her work, offering an exploration of life's delicate and often contradictory sensations.
Contemporary Kawaii Surrealism, the genre in which Nagasawa works, is a unique blend of the charming aesthetics of kawaii pop and the symbolic, dreamlike narratives of surrealism. In her art, this is evident through the use of bright, pastel colors, childlike characters, and whimsical yet contemplative imagery. These elements combine to create a complex style that resonates deeply with viewers, evoking an empathetic response to the infantile world she portrays.
Nagasawa has developed her own distinctive style and visual language. Her paintings often depict serene landscapes where girls interact tenderly with nature, filled with symbolic objects such as flowers and animals, encouraging interpretation and analysis. The soft, rounded shapes of the objects and the intense colors evoke a sense of mystery. The characters' eyes are not depicted disproportionately large, as is typical in kawaii culture. Instead, they attract attention due to their shape and the blue circles around them. The iris seems to be placed outside the eye, making it appear almost inside out, without boundaries. This peculiar depiction draws attention and allows the artist to convey a half-ironic, half-surprised state of mind in the character, which in turn encourages the viewer to project this emotion onto themselves. This effect deeply engages the viewer.
The origins of Nagasawa's work can be traced to the cultural roots of kawaii pop culture, which emerged in Japan during the 1970s. Pioneered by characters like Hello Kitty, the kawaii aesthetic quickly became pervasive in various aspects of Japanese society, influencing everything from consumer goods to broader cultural expressions. Today, this style has evolved into a global phenomenon, influencing fashion, film, gaming, comics, animation, and contemporary art. Nagasawa's work is deeply rooted in this pictorial language, yet she transcends its origins, bringing the unique atmosphere and conceptual depth of contemporary Japan to a global audience through her signature style.
Featured Works
Exhibition View
Ikumi Nagasawa
Ikumi Nagasawa, born in Tokyo in 1980, is an artist whose works embody the style of Contemporary Kawaii Surrealism, a Japanese art movement that fuses the charm of kawaii culture with the dreamlike elements of surrealism and has gained popularity worldwide. She graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design in 2004, earning an Excellent Prize for painting, and completed her graduate studies there in 2006. From 2012 to 2014, she studied as a research student at Fine Art College, Shanghai Normal University. Her primary medium is oil on canvas, and in 2023, she expanded her artistic practice to include figurine sculptures.
Reflecting on her artistic approach, Nagasawa has said, "Humor in sadness, sadness in joy, anxiety in happiness, comfort in discomfort. I want to depict with love the murmur of quiet, small feelings and sensations that intersect. As time passes and everything continues to change, I want to make visible the fragments of memories and sensations of the moment and gently overlay them with someone's thoughts and feelings." This quote encapsulates the delicate balance of feelings in her work, where the outward simplicity often conceals a deeper and more nuanced depth.