YOD Gallery is delighted to present "Permeation of light," the second solo exhibition by Nina Kawamata since 2013. 

Kawamata(b.1987) is a painter who specializes in Japanese traditional painting. In her previous works the artist uniquely dealt with the themes such as Utopia, object of worship, nature, and human being through the depiction of imaginative figures reminiscent of a characters or angels from Western mythology, adorned with plants. The techniques of traditional painting enhanced the sublimity of the theme as well as the subtlety and fragility of the image.

In the upcoming show "Permeation of light," Kawamata introduces new series of work dealing with human emotions and sentiments as overarching theme, and new production process combining the traditional and non-traditional media. Kawamata, in search for the new expression, decided to leave the tradition of scroll mounting, and further introduced a layer of resin on the surface. The layer heightens the transparent quality of images, and also its reflective quality produces various impressions in the mind of each viewer, suggesting the idea that there are different values and perspectives for one subject.

The theme such as human emotions, sentiments and psychological subtleties are reflected through the delicate layering of mineral pigments, realized after the removal of scroll mounting. The application on silk, that itself is already transparent, complements the effect. The facial expressions of figures speak of the complexity and sensitivity of human inner-self, and the plants and the crack-like patterns can be read as the reflection of such internal world. According to the artist, the change in the daily life and surroundings has given her more time to confront her own self, provoking thoughts about the issues of human mind and feelings. It seems natural to think that this change may have affected the shift, from the grandiose to the personal, of the overarching theme Kawamata’s works carry. 

" Circulation of Life " 

Through painting, I want to depict complicated human sensitivities and emotions such as anxiety, insecurity, conflict and dependence, in addition to the ongoing theme "to live."I am the only one who can be myself, and it is hard to share entirely what I feel with others.
One's comprehension of a word, or a sentence,is always slightly off from the other, 
as one's sense of values is independent.What is truth and what is fiction?How about myself?Even if everyone is looking at a single subject, 
what each of us sense is a different layers of information.This is my attempt to visualize such slippage of senses and feelings.