Tomoko Nagai

Singapore

In Tomoko Nagai’s works, various motifs, animals such as bear, cat and horse, colorful trees and mushrooms, young girls or imaginary figures, are arranged in backgrounds of forest or room, as if they were theatrical settings. They are like individual scenes that belong to one magnificent imaginary world, filled with numerous images she can never draw enough, Nagai says. Those motifs are scattered with exquisite balance in Nagai’s works. Each work is enriched with a sense of contentment, and seems to address a condensed world while sharing a unique sense of space.

Nagai believes that work is a result of coincidence and spontaneity. She does not draft before painting but selects the suitable materials that match most with the subjects. On top of oil, acrylic, watercolor, color pencils or pastel, she also produces sculptures such as stuffed animals and installations consisting of various materials. The diversity in matiere and material and in levels of intensity becomes each element and seems to give rise to a whole music like different rhythms do. Nagai’s works do not carry any specific narratives. By feeling this music, however, we would realize that we enter inside of her world of stories. Perhaps, it is because the narrative is not only an internal or private conception but also an expression of universal sensibility that is open-minded and beyond cultural boundaries.

Tomio Koyama Gallery Singapore

January 18 – February 24, 2013
47 Malan Road #01-26 Gillman Barracks
Singapore 109444