AI KOWADA GALLERY is pleased to present an exhibition program of Kanako Nishi consisting of two parts: ‘Charm’ and ‘“I” beyond.’ Kanako Nishi who received Naoki Prize for her novel ‘So long!’ has always expressed in drawings the theme that she dealt with in her novels.

Her solo show of last year titled ‘i’ presented an installation work that occupied the whole of the gallery space, immersing the audience in the rich narrative that she developed visually to overwhelmed them. The artist who has been drawing since an early age has established her original style of drawing with strong hand strokes using the plain materials of crayons and corrugated cardboard. Through her figurative and nonfigurative pictures, the two-part exhibition project aims to present the depth of her artistic expressions revealed in the form of drawing.

The present program is the second of the projects that focuses on Nishi’s achievements in visual art to which she has been as much dedicated to as she is to literature. The novelist has been making pictures on the subject of that of her own novels. The resulting arts have been used for frontispieces and illustrations of her books, and played key roles in understanding the story. The tableaus on corrugated cardboard drawn with thick layers of strokes by crayons that resemble oil paint are filled with artistic energy sourced from the thin body of the novelist, and impress us with their powerfulness. Through her novels, Nishi has encouraged those troubled with their identity, assuring them that they are fine just the way they are. Such message of hers is also found in her art work. Nishi uses crayons that she has been accustomed to using since small and corrugated cardboard that she gets at a supermarket where she does her daily shopping. Without having received a formal art education, her style that is based on familiar materials has much in common with that of street artists who have addressed various social issues in any places using any materials on the streets of cities like New York.

Kanako NISHI

B​orn in 1977,in Tehran,Islamic Republic of Iran​,​lives and works in Tokyo.She received the aforementioned award"Naoki Award" with "Good Bye!" in2015 had launched her career as a writer with "Aoi"(2004), after which she steadily increased the reputation as a writer through works such as "Tsutenkaku" and "Fukuwarai." which won the 2007 Oda Sakunosuke Prize and the 2013 Hayao Kawai Award in Literature respectively. "The Yellow Elephant" which was made into a film starring Aoi Miyazaki and Osamu Mukai has helped to increase her readers.

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Cooperation: Poplar Publishing Co., Ltd.,Chikumashobo Ltd.