Yukiko Nakano

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Tokyo, living in a relatively green environment.

From the train, you can see distant mountains, and on clear days, Mount Fuji is clearly visible.

Certain primal landscapes from my childhood (such as being dropped off and picked up from daycare by car, the smell of bricks, overcast skies, and tires, likely in the fall to winter season) have remained within me.

Because of this, I am interested in the ambiguity of memory and recollection, landscapes seen in dreams, and déjà vu, which have become fundamental themes in my work.

The subjects depicted in my work often consist of everyday, commonplace objects that repeatedly appear as motifs. For example, trash cans and garbage collection areas in the city, temporary construction fences, plant planters lined up on eaves, slightly crooked fences, many houseplants lined up in home improvement stores or supermarkets, and litter on the streets. I believe that these urban landscapes, while they may be in the corner of one’s eye, do not become the focus of conscious attention. By reconstructing these scenes, I create a pictorial space and paintings that can be described as mental landscapes with a sense of floating.

I aim to create artworks that evoke personal memories in those who view them. I hope that my work can trigger recollections in a way similar to the Proustian effect, where a specific smell can bring back memories. There was a time when someone who viewed my work told me that it brought back memories of their mother. This feedback was incredibly important to me, as it made me realize the significance of my art being able to intersect with others’ memories and emotions. This experience highlighted the importance of creating scenes and images based on my personal memories that can resonate with others’ recollections and sensations.

Additionally, I want to create artworks that can be a part of people’s daily lives, much like old magazine clippings, receipts, or well-worn towels and blankets that we cannot part with. While expressing through painting is a classical method, I believe that using this medium can communicate simply and directly to the senses. At the same time, I want to create a painting space that allows viewers to relax and take a moment of pause while appreciating the art.

I recently came across an article on the internet that discussed the intriguing idea that “people are awake in order to sleep.” It is said that the dreams we see while sleeping are a way of organizing our memories from when we are awake. If we are truly awake in order to sleep, then perhaps dreams should have a sense of reality to them. This notion sparked my interest in the ambiguity between the states of being awake and being asleep.

I aim to collect fragments of landscapes and memories, and create artworks that evoke a sense of reminiscence and floating