Video: Yukihiro Sugimori
Shapes
Kengo Nakamura
Yoshimasa Tsuchiya
Fukuo Tanaka
Aya Cagiu
Yukino Iwatsuki
Takeo Yamaguchi
Tilt
Trav
Haydonna
The first exhibition, after the gallery’s relocation in April 2025, will feature a wide range of artists from Japan and overseas who share with the viewer the surprise and enjoyment of encountering their work, by honing the skills to bring out the appeal of the shapes.
MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY is pleased to present the group exhibition “Shapes”. The gallery has introduced artists who use traditional techniques and materials along with their originality, as well as those who directly convey their passion for expression, such as graffiti, since its establishment in Tokyo in 2007. There were works with outstanding attention to details even in pre-modern Japan, where the term “fine art” did not exist. Japanese craftsmanship was sublimated into a rich expression by their persistence, resulting in a unique world, taking Buddhist statues as an example. The artists’ desire was not to stay with conceptual novelty or realistic technique, but to share with the viewer the surprise and enjoyment of encountering their work by honing the skills to bring out the appeal of the shape, even if the motif was familiar.
As the first exhibition after the relocation, we will feature a wide range of modern and contemporary artists from the above genealogy. Kengo Nakamura’s Japanese paintings, which reconstruct hiragana words in pictorial form; Yoshimasa Tsuchiya’s wood carving combines traditional techniques with innovative expression; Fukuo Tanaka’s delicate and profound glass works; Aya Cagiu’s embroidery, spun from prayer and imagination; oil paintings by Yukino Iwatsuki, who sees everyday as supreme beauty; primitive and indigenous landscapes by Takeo Yamaguchi, a pioneer in Japanese abstract painting; wall paintings by French graffiti artist Tilt, who contains the impermanence and chaos of the city; typo architecture paintings by Los Angeles artist Trav; simple and graphic paintings by Korean artist Haydonna, who expresses stories about spending time with her pets. This is the first exhibition in Japan for Trav and Haydonna.
Dates
May 16-June 21, 2025
Noon-6pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday
Opening Reception
May 16, 6-8pm
MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY
New address: B1, 8-14-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
Kengo Nakamura
Gadji beri bimba
2025
80.3 × 80.3 cm
Mineral pigment, pigment and acrylic on Japanese paper mounted on wood panel (framed)
The title of the work “Gadji beri bimba” is taken from a nonsensical sound poem by Hugo Ball, one of the founders of the Dada movement. He wrote this poem for a performance at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich in 1916. I painted this poem in hiragana in the chaotic year 2025, in homage to the Dada artists who used nonsense poetry to counter the turmoil of their time.
Kengo Nakamura studied Japanese painting at Tama Art University and its graduate school. He creates unique paintings with motifs that represent contemporary society, such as emoticons in emails, speech balloons from manga, and character silhouettes. As his reputation grew abroad, Nakamura held his first solo exhibition in Taiwan at AKI Gallery in 2021, and also exhibited in “Scenery in Mock-up” at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts in Taipei. Additionally, he held his second solo exhibition “Kengo Nakamura’s Contemporary Japanese-Style Painting” at AKI Gallery in 2024. Nakamura attempted to connect pop culture and traditional painting in the 1990s, and in recent years his interest has shifted to the relationship between Japanese culture, including East Asian culture, and modern painting, with Hiragana Painting series, “Ego Mandala”, “○△□” from Shinbun Itchi series, Modern Lovers and JAPANS series among the new initiatives.
Yoshimasa Tsuchiya
Cat
2025
40 x 22 x 30 cm
Painted camphor wood, borosilicate glass by Fukuo Tanaka
This is my ongoing attempt to simplify and abstract form. I try to create a work that gives the impression of the “presence” rather than a cat itself.
Yoshimasa Tsuchiya was born in 1977, studied sculpture at Tokyo University of the Arts, and completed PhD, Sculpture Conservation at the graduate school in 2007. Drawing on his experience with ancient sculptures during his graduate studies, Tsuchiya has challenged himself to combine traditional techniques with innovative expressions. He is currently holding a solo exhibition “Yoshimasa Tsuchiya - Beyond the Tranquility” at Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design (until June 15, 2025), further solidifying his popularity and acclaim both in Japan and abroad. Tsuchiya has established a unique painting method whereby the inner pale colors faintly appear from the surface of wood carving. He also uses a technique similar to that for Buddhist statues, inserting crystal or glass eyes from inside the head, creating works with a mystical look. Tsuchiya’s motifs are symbolic animal figures, which embody thoughts by borrowing the form of living creatures.
Fukuo Tanaka
Siosai nostalgic 20250418
2025
Φ4.9 cm
Borosilicate glass, gold, silver
Fukuo Tanaka graduated from a glass art school and has created works with high-transparency, heat-resistant borosilicate glass. Tanaka has been in charge of the glass eyes of Yoshimasa Tsuchiya’s wood carvings, and also created other glass parts for the first time at Tsuchiya’s solo exhibition in 2024. After years of exploring glass, Tanaka uses an advanced technique called “inside-out” to produce delicate works. Pieces of glass on a test tube-shaped glass are heated with a burner, creating various patterns as they melt inside, simultaneously forming a microcosm. The unique colors are created by heating colored glass and metals such as evaporated gold and silver, and combining them by chemical reaction. His works evoke the beauty in nature, such as leaf veins or snowflakes, which exist according to natural laws.
Aya Cagiu
Phoenix
2023
100 × 80 × 2.7 cm
Silk embroidery on silk cloth
Aya Cagiu graduated from the Department of Sculpture at Tama Art University in 2001 and has been creating embroidery works ever since. Cagiu has explored unique expressions within the 1,400-year-old tradition of Japanese embroidery. She participated in the touring exhibition “In the Genes, Taking Marvelous Meiji Craftsmanship into the Future” at museums from 2023 to 2025, solidifying herself as an embroidery artist in Japan. Embroidery has been passed down as a symbol of prayer, serving as talismans and amulets for communities and individuals since ancient times. Cagiu returns to the origins of embroidery, the act of prayer, and stitches each thread with a wish. She overlays her thoughts on the time-consuming process of embroidery with the towns and ruins she has visited, stones and shells she has found, and embodies the spirit of learning from nature in her works.
Yukino Iwatsuki
Corridor
2023
53 × 53 cm
Oil on canvas
Yukino Iwatsuki graduated from Visual Communication Design Course at Kanazawa College of Art in 1998, and has been engaged in her artistic practice, primarily oil painting. In addition to solo exhibitions in Japan, her work was exhibited overseas in 2019, showcasing her creativity. Captivated by daily life, Iwatsuki finds light, color, and the landscapes before her as subjects that evoke a sense of vitality and trust. She vividly expresses the ideals in everyday life through meticulous observation. The softly painted subjects transform fleeting moments into narratives, drawing viewers into her world. Within her works, we encounter the rediscovery of small joys that are often overlooked in the hustle and bustle. Furthermore, her works possess a unique charm that leaves a pleasant aftertaste, making us want to revisit them time and again.
Takeo Yamaguchi
Snowscape
1948
24 x 32.7 cm
Oil on canvas (framed)
Takeo Yamaguchi (1902-1983) was born in Seoul, Korea, moved to Tokyo in 1921, and enrolled in the Western painting department of Tokyo University of the Arts the following year. After graduating from the school in 1927, Yamaguchi met the painter Yuzo Saeki, who was temporarily back in Japan, and followed him to France. Upon his return to Japan in 1931, Yamaguchi exhibited at the Nika Exhibition, and he continued to exhibit until 1962 as a member of the Nika Association. During this period, he participated in the 18th Annual Exhibition of American Abstract Artists in 1954 as a member of Japan Abstract Art Club. He also exhibited at numerous international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale and the Guggenheim International Exhibition, becoming a pioneer in Japanese abstract art. At a time when many painters in Japan imitated Western art, Yamaguchi prioritized organic abstract expression that captured the essence and structure of subjects over realistic forms. He spent his entire life pursuing his own landscape, which could be indigenous and primitive.
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Tilt
Sans titre (AG04)
2024
30 x 24 cm
Mixed media on plasterboard
Tilt is a graffiti artist from Toulouse, France. He encountered the graffiti movement in the 1980s and first painted his tag on a skateboard ramp in 1988. Tilt’s works depict the transience, chaos, and traces of gestures in urban environment through powerful colors and forms, and his graffiti legacy functions to evoke former underground expressions and memories. Tilt creates a large work on the wall with spray paint and other materials, then divides it into individual pieces to emphasize the partial nature of the whole. The realism and scale of his work, as if it had been cut directly from the wall, attracts many viewers.
Trav
Terms and Conditions
2025
91.4 x 91.4 cm
Acrylic on wood panel
Trav is a contemporary artist based in Los Angeles, California. Drawn to graffiti as an escape from social norms, he eventually transitioned from street art to murals, and further evolved his work into pieces that critique consumerism and digital transformation through his own narrative. Having navigated both street culture and the formal art world, Trav explores themes of rebellion, resilience, and transformation, expressing the freedom he has found in a life driven by creativity, based on his raw personal history. Alongside these activities, he also contributes to community through large-scale public projects. Trav’s “Typo Architecture” painting series boldly merges graffiti letters, originating from tags on walls and trains, with the architectural structures that serve as their supports, and putting them onto canvas, proving his philosophy that values creativity and authenticity.
Haydonna
Hide and Seen
2025
72.7 x 60.6 cm
Acrylic on canvas
Haydonna is a Korean artist born in Wisconsin in 1991. After studying fine art in Korea, she graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Upon returning to Korea, she began her artistic career while also working as a creative director and graphic designer. She has collaborated with brands such as Samsung and Nike, held solo exhibitions in Korea and Taiwan, and participated in various other exhibitions and events. Haydonna’s works capture the quick movements and fluffy textures of her two dogs, and reflect the joy of everyday life with them. The works draw viewers in with the simplicity, prompting them to imagine what happens next. The meticulously balanced compositions, dynamic lines, and effective use of a limited color palette, combined with a nostalgic atmosphere, highlight the unique charm of her hand-painted pieces.