My passion for art and design started early and never died.
From a young age, I was interested in drawing and painting and decided to pursue these passions by attending a selective Art and Design high school. My high school had its own gallery where we were free to curate our own works as aspiring artists.
In my current role as gallery assistant and language consultant at The Japan Foundation Sydney, I draw upon my passion for art, language, and design skills to provide the same space for other artists. In the Central Park gallery space, I help organise and curate exhibitions for many Japanese artists and designers and assist with language consultation.
Below are photos of the Hiroshi Nagai exhibition, where I assisted with planning, gallery space layout, lighting, sound selection and setting up.
Exhibition September 25, 2020 – January 23, 2021
Hiroshi Nagai: Paintings For Music
Hiroshi Nagai: Paintings for Music surveys the relationship between Japan’s city pop music and the paintings of esteemed illustrator Hiroshi Nagai. This is the first international solo exhibition of Nagai, whose cover art for Eiichi Ohtaki’s A Long Vacation and numerous other iconic record jackets spearheaded Japan’s city pop music culture. Since then, Nagai has collaborated with musicians and brands around the world, leaving his mark on contemporary culture and style.
This exhibition explores an era that encapsulated the new young urban lifestyle in Tokyo through the lens of Nagai’s paintings. His dreamy visual palette and associated city pop hits epitomised the cultural reverberations of Japan’s economic boom, providing a soundtrack and aesthetic for young urbanites lusting after endless summers by the poolside and an indulgent city nightlife.
Hiroshi Nagai, Untitled, 1993, acrylic on canvas, © the artist
Hiroshi Nagai, Poolside - Yellow Towel, 2019, acrylic on canvas board © the artist