Artist Name: Nana Shimomura
Residency Dates: March – April & June 2024
Born: 1990
Hometown: Fukuoka, Japan
Lives & Works: Barcelona, Spain & Tokyo, Japan
URL: nanashimomura.com/ | Instagram: @_nana_shimm
Education:
2017 | MFA, Department of Design, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan
2015 | BFA, Department of Design, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan
Bio/Statement:
Nana Shimomura is a Barcelona and Tokyo-based multidisciplinary artist exploring new expressions of calligraphy through collaboration with contemporary media, as well as analysis of time and perception. Her collaborative approach is reflected in her wide range of relationships with specialists in other fields including musicians, poets and architects. In the theme of her work production, she has taken the constellations that exist equally in the night sky as one of the important themes. Linking them to the fundamental perceptions of human beings and continuing to explore new forms of expression using calligraphy.
In her work production Nana explores constellations as a central theme, linking them to the fundamental perceptions of human beings. In the artist’s words:
Our ancestors saw the star-filled sky as a flat canvas and connected the dots to create constellations. These exist above our heads and are accessible to everyone, anywhere. I believe that constellations are the result of our purest form of creative expression. I strive to express what lies at the root of our universal impulse—the impulse that compelled our ancestors to connect the stars—by marrying the past, present and future. Calligraphy is not just a traditional cultural expression. It is a relic from the past, born from our impulse to express through “writing”—in Japanese, called “kaku.” The word “kaku (writing)” is homophonous to the words “drawing” and “scraping.” I believe that the act of “kaku” as well as music and dancing is our purest form of creativity born from our ancient impulses. In the present days, we are entering an era where these traces of impulsive expressions can be found in the virtual world.
Select exhibitions include 18 at theBLANC Gallery, New York (2023); Beyond the Paint at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York (2023); Konstellationen at Atelier Takiguchi, Tokyo, Japan (2022); Intermedia Art Festival, Huamao Museum of Art Education, Ningbo, China (2022); Seven-hundred Views of Koi Fish at Ritsurin Garden, Kagawa, Japan (2020).
Nana has won several major art prizes including the Tokyo Midtown Award Semi-grand prix in 2018, the Encouragement Prize at the Gunma Biennale for Young Artists in 2021, among others. She participated as an artist on the jury for the D&AD New Blood Award 2023. Nana recently completed her residency at Hangar, Barcelona in 2023. Additionally, Nana lectures at the Tokyo University of the Arts on cutting-edge technologies on digital equipment.
Support: Nana Shimomura’s residency is made possible with support from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan and Yoshino Gypsum Art Foundation.
