NISO to present Sawako Nasu’s first solo exhibition in London, opening on Tuesday September 17th.
This marks the artist’s first presentation outside of Japan and reinforces the gallery’s dedication to showcasing young talent from the Japanese art scene. Vestige presents a body of sixteen works on
canvas that explore the breadth of her practice, from portraiture to landscape.
Sawako Nasu’s work serves as a profound meditation on the passage of time, memory, and the ephemeral quality of human nature—themes encompassing both her technique and subject matter. Nasu reduces her landscapes to abstraction by superimposing thin layers of paint, meticulously applied according to a geometric division of the surface plane. This method renders her brushstrokes nearly invisible, resulting in compositions that exude a subtle stillness, serenity, and a quiet melancholy.
The visual impact of Sawako Nasu’s work is reminiscent of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s seascapes, where time—and patience—plays an integral role in the creative act. Much like the slow, deliberate process of capturing light in a photograph, the artist must patiently wait between each layer of paint to dry, allowing time to create a marbled texture that reveals itself slowly, just as sediment builds over
time.
The result of these deliberately repetitive gestures in composing her landscapes manifests as subtle variations across the body of work, giving rise to numerous perspectives that intersect and coexist on the surface plane. The only constant is the horizon line—a consistent element that, like a compass, anchors the viewer.
The principles guiding her creative method serve a different function in her portraiture. With each layer of paint, the figures depicted gradually fades away, much like the sea wears away the rock, leaving behind only the memory of what once was. At once visible and obscured, the figure is captured both in its immediate reality and its ephemeral, elusive nature. Sawako Nasu’s portraiture serves as a reminder that nothing is permanent—everything is in a constant state of change.
Sawako Nasu, Vestige 18th September – 9th November 2024 NISO
Art Opening: 17th September 6PM- 9PM
About the artist
Sawako Nasu (Tokyo, b. 1998) lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. The artist holds a BFA and MFA from the Tokyo University of Arts. Solo exhibitions include: Sunny, Rainy at Biscuit Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2023); Slipped Moonlight, Ginza Tsutaya Books, Tokyo, Japan (2022); To the Lighthouse, myheirloom, Tokyo, Japan (2022). Recent group exhibitions include: Biscuit Gallery 3rd Anniversary Exhibition?grid3?, Biscuit Gallery, Tokyo (2024); Inaugural Group Exhibition, NISO, London (2024);?Selection?, KEN NAKAHASHI, Tokyo, Japan (2024); Draw Lines & Shapes in My Maps, Taka Ishii Gallery Maebashi, Maebashi, Japan (2023).
