Watanabe Naoko is a contemporary artist working in an abstract manner. She studied in Germany in 2003 as a trainee under the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Overseas Study Program for Emerging Artists. At the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, she studied under artists Jörg Immendorff and Gerhard Merz. There, she continues to boldly explore the essence and possibilities of painting amid the diversifying nature of contemporary artistic expression. Watanabe deeply explores the role of color in conveying the essence of the world and its perception.

 

One of Watanabe's ideas is "representing the moment when incompatible things meet as a beautiful state of painting." She believes, "The conflict of different things happens continually in life. Rather than seeing it as a trap or inconsistency, I want to make it the most interactive and active moment for each other to shine." Her striking strokes and quiet lines are folded in layers, blending abstraction and concrete elements, with the glossiness of the oil paint and the complex color mixtures that change with the light. Watanabe's aim is to create work that encourages viewers to experience and feel, even if they don't fully understand it. She says, "My painting is a painting that I don't understand. I don't understand it, but experience and feel it. I want to create a new option for the viewers to discover their own creative ideas."

 

"Coexistence in contrast" refers to the relationship that emerges when incompatible or antagonistic elements share a moment together. Watanabe explores the significance and beauty that emerge through contrasts such as "that which supports and that which is supported," "bone and skin," "hardness and softness," and "architecture and flesh." For Watanabe, these are abstract concepts that manifest as very concrete images.

 

The concept of "coexistence in contrast" focuses on the relationship of "touching and being touched" between the painting and the observer. Her unique lines and colors embody this concept.

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