2024-2025, 38 x 45.5 cm, Mineral pigment, pigment and acrylic on Japanese paper mounted on wood panel (framed)
2023, 80.3 x 80.3 cm, Mineral pigment, pigment and acrylic on Japanese paper mounted on wood panel (framed)
Photo: Tomoko Yamane
2024-2025, 38 x 45.5 cm, Mineral pigment, pigment and acrylic on Japanese paper mounted on wood panel (framed)
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 and character silhouettes from mangaNakamura 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. 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.
Biography
1995 MFA, Tama Art University / Tokyo, Japan
1969 Born in Osaka, Japan
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Kengo Nakamura’s Contemporary Japanese-Style Painting, AKI Gallery / Taipei, Taiwan
2022 un petit GARAGE SELECTION, un petit GARAGE / Tokyo, Japan
2021 Modern Japanese Japanese-style Painting, AKI Gallery / Taipei, Taiwan
2015 Kengo Nakamura, Kengo Nakamura and, Isetan Shinjuku store art gallery / Tokyo, Japan
Kengo Nakamura Zukan, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
modern Japanese Japanese-style painting 1994-2014, Kakegawa Ninomaru Museum of Art / Shizuoka, Japan
2006 "without me" and small works, Bunkamura Arts & Crafts / Tokyo, Japan
2003 COMPOSITION TOKYO, CAI International GmbH / Hamburg, Germany
2002 Re:, gm (graf bld. 5F) Osaka / Osaka, Japan
2000 The World According to Us 2000, www. so-net/cafe / Tokyo, japan
1996 COMPOSITION TOKYO, Pappa Cafe / Tokyo, Japan
SPEECH BALLOON MAN, Giza 9bidou Gallery / Tokyo, Japan
1995 SPEECH BALLOON, Gallery ARIES / Tokyo, Japan
ONE ROOM MANSION (COMPOSITION TOKYO Series), Za Moca Foundation / Tokyo, Japan
1994 The World According to Us, ギャラリーアリエス / Tokyo, Japan
COMPOSITION TOKYO, gallery NW house / Tokyo, Japan
Group Exhibitions
2025 ART OSAKA 2025, Osaka City Central Public Hall 3F / Osaka, Japan
Shapes, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
Merry Cherry Blossom, Galerie Tamenaga / Kyoto Japan
Literal Collisions, Hall Keiryu (FINCH ARTS) / Kyoto, Japan
Favorites, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
artKYOTO 2024, Shōsei-en Garden / Kyoto, Japan
ACTIVATE ART + KOGEl HAGAKURE, The Saga University Art Museum / Saga, Japan
ART OSAKA 2024, Osaka City Central Public Hall / Osaka, Japan
ART OSAKA 2023, Osaka City Central Public Hall / Osaka, Japan
ONE ART TAIPEI 2022, THE SHERWOOD TAIPEI / Taipei, Taiwan
2021 The 8th Higashiyama Kaii Memorial Nikkei Nihonga Award, The Ueno Royal Museum / Tokyo, Japan
Portraits, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
Scenery in Mock-up, Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts / Taipei, Taiwan
Nouvel Horizon Japon, Galerie Taménaga / Paris, France
2020 ART OSAKA WALL by APCA / Osaka, Japan
Shikansuiyo – Art of the One Hundred Year Forest, Meiji Jingu Museum / Tokyo, Japan
Nouvelle ère du Japon, Galerie Tamenaga / Tokyo, Japan
Art Paris 2020 Digital, galerie tamenaga PARIS / Paris, France
ONE ART TAIPEI, The Sherwood TAIPEI / Taipei, Taiwan
2019 MARUMASU GINZA / Tokyo
-MANGIRI, Sunshine City alpa B1 / Tokyo, Japan
New Era of Japan IV, galerie tamenaga PARIS / Paris, France
SOE BY KENGO NAKAMURA EXHIBITION, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
KENGO NAKAMURA EXHIBITION BY SOE, M.I.U. / Tokyo, Japan
ART OSAKA 2019, HOTEL GRANVIA OSAKA / Osaka, Japan
Art Paris 2019, Grand Palais / Paris, France
Collection, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
MSBC Eath Garden / Tokyo, Japan
ONE ART TAIPEI, The sherwood Taipei / Taipei, Taiwan
2018 ART OSAKA 2018, HOTEL GRANVIA OSAKA / Osaka, Japan
Nouvelle ère du Japon III, Galerie taménaga France / Paris, France
Hiroshima / Nagasaki - Imago Mundi, GALLERIE DELLE PRIGIONI / Treviso, Italy
with Cats, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
FUJISANTEN, AWAJI Cafe & Gallery / Tokyo, Japan
2017 Art Space Rashinban / Tokyo, Japan
TOBU Department 5F Art Gallery / Chiba, Japan
2014 Artisic Christmas vol.Ⅷ, Takashimaya Shinjuku Store 10F gallery / Tokyo, Japan
2016 TOKYO-GA, MITSUOKA Azabu Showroom / Tokyo, Japan
Nouvelle ere du Japon II, galerie tamenaga Paris / Paris, France
showcase, Showcase MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
2015 Shonzuizu, Takashimaya Nihombashi Store Art Gallery X / Tokyo, Japan
Nouvelle ere du Japon, galerie tamenaga Paris / Paris, France
The Exhibition of the Yokohama Museum of Art: Collection 2015 Partz, Yokohama Museum of Art / Kanagawa, Japan
Gigmenta Hardcore of Nihonga, The Artcomplex Center of Tokyo / Tokyo, Japan
2014 Modern Portrait, Ginza Mitsukoshi 8F gallery / Tokyo, Japan
2013 Gift of Art, Isetan Shinjuku Store / Tokyo, Japan
Imago Mundi, Fondazione Querini Stampalia / Venice, Italy
TAKASHIMAYA Nihombashi Store, TAKASHIMAYA Shinjuku Store / Tokyo, Japan
FIELD TRIP PROJECT, Enokojima Art, Culture and Creative Center, Osaka Prefecture / Osaka, Japan
The Power of Manga: Osamu Tezuka and Shotaro Ishinomori, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo / Tokyo, Japan
Takashimaya Art Walking, Takashimaya Department Store Shinjuku / Tokyo, Japan
Mitsukoshi Department Store Ginza branch / Tokyo, Japan
ART GALLERY × SUUMO VALENTINE'S FESTA 2013 / Tokyo, Japan
2012 XYZ, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
DAN T"EA DESIGNTIDE＞CHANOYU SIDE, Isetan Department Store / Tokyo, Japan
Shinozaki Bunka Plaza / Tokyo, Japan
Takashimaya Rose Art session, Takashimaya Department Store / Tokyo, kanagawa, Osaka and Kyoto, Japan
CRATE GALLERY, BookGallery CAUTION / Tokyo, Japan
2011 SHIBU Culture, Seibu Department Store Shibuya branch / Tokyo, Japan
MOVE!, L MD galerie / Paris, France
2008 Kunst Oktoberfet '08, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY STUDIO / Tokyo, Japan
2006 COOL 4, GALLERY 360°/ Tokyo, Japan
NIHONGA Painting : Six Provocative Artists, Yokohama Museum of Art / Kanagawa, Japan
2005 Japanese Artists at Lichthof, LICHTHOF / Cologne, Germany
ART/ROOM, ART FRONT GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
2004 art is christmas christmas is art, CAI International / Hamburg, Germany
Two-person show - Japanese style painting - MACHIDA Kumi, NAKAMURA Kengo, NISHIMURA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan
Zimmer frei, Murata & Friends / Berlin, Germany
2003 SHINKUS multiple, Gallery TEZZ / Tokyo, Japan
Multiples + Kultiples, ARTicle, Galerie+Edition / Cologne, Germany
QUERBLIK 2, Koelnische Stadtmuseum / Cologne, Germany
Hanshin Tigers championship commemoration exhibition, studio BIG ART / Kanagawa, Japan
LANDMINES EXHIBITION 2, FADs artspace / Tokyo, Japan
home of Midori Mitamura, project by Steff Adames / Tokyo, Japan
2001 Shiori Project, The city library of Ishikari / Hokkaido, Japan
Everything is new, ARTicle, Galerie+Edition / Cologne, Germany
2000 Tokyo Tatami Space Exhibition, Tatsumi Orimoto House / Kanagawa, Japan
1999 A liked sensu exhibition 4, Living design gallery / Tokyo, Japan
1998 Multiples & Kultiples, ARTicle, Galerie+Edition / Cologne, Germany
TOKYO ROOMS, ARTicle, Galerie+Edition / Cologne, Germany
1997 Project 2000bug@zone/transmission, @zone / Tokyo, Japan
Two Thousand Bug, Gallery Ryug i / Tokyo, Japan
Walking museum Takashimaya times Square, Takashimaya Times Square / Tokyo, Japan
Green, Giza 9bidou Gallery / Tokyo, Japan
1996 Morphe'96 -Asian Wing, Harajuku, Aoyama / Tokyo, Japan
1995 Contemporary Japanese Style Painting '95, Gallery ARIES / Tokyo, Japan
Public Collection
Yokohama Museum of Art / Kanagawa, Japan