Kengo Nakamura

Kengo Nakamura studied Japanese painting at Tama Art University and its graduate school. He creates unique paintings with motifs that represent contemporary society, such as emoticons in emails, speech balloons and character silhouettes from mangaNakamura held his first solo exhibition in Taiwan at AKI Gallery in 2021, and also exhibited in “Scenery in Mock-up” at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts in Taipei. Nakamura attempted to connect pop culture and traditional painting in the 1990s, and in recent years his interest has shifted to the relationship between Japanese culture, including East Asian culture, and modern painting, with Hiragana Painting series, “Ego Mandala”, “○△□” from Shinbun Itchi series, Modern Lovers and JAPANS series among the new initiatives.

Biography

1995  MFA, Tama Art University / Tokyo, Japan

1969　Born in Osaka, Japan

Solo Exhibitions

2024 Kengo Nakamura’s Contemporary Japanese-Style Painting, AKI Gallery / Taipei, Taiwan

2022 un petit GARAGE SELECTION, un petit GARAGE / Tokyo, Japan

2021 Modern Japanese Japanese-style Painting, AKI Gallery / Taipei, Taiwan

2018 Modern Lovers, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

JAPANS, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

2015 Kengo Nakamura, Kengo Nakamura and, Isetan Shinjuku store art gallery / Tokyo, Japan

Kengo Nakamura Zukan, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

modern Japanese Japanese-style painting 1994-2014, Kakegawa Ninomaru Museum of

Art / Shizuoka, Japan

2014 Ourselves in Today’s World, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

2010 Without me, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

2007 Speech Ballons in the Venus and Dance for 21st century, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY /

Tokyo, Japan

2006 "without me" and small works, Bunkamura Arts & Crafts / Tokyo, Japan

2003 COMPOSITION TOKYO, CAI International GmbH / Hamburg, Germany

2002 Re:, gm (graf bld. 5F) Osaka / Osaka, Japan

2000 The World According to Us 2000, www. so-net/cafe / Tokyo, japan

1996 COMPOSITION TOKYO, Pappa Cafe / Tokyo, Japan

SPEECH BALLOON MAN, Giza 9bidou Gallery / Tokyo, Japan

1995 SPEECH BALLOON, Gallery ARIES / Tokyo, Japan

ONE ROOM MANSION (COMPOSITION TOKYO Series), Za Moca Foundation / Tokyo,

Japan

1994 The World According to Us, ギャラリーアリエス / Tokyo, Japan

COMPOSITION TOKYO, gallery NW house / Tokyo, Japan

Group Exhibitions

2026 Merry Cherry Blossom, Galerie Taménaga Kyoto / Kyoto, Japan

Early Years, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

2025 Opening Exhibition of the Minami-Aoyama, Galerie Taménaga / Tokyo, Japan

LIVING WITH ART, Meiji Yasuda Gallery / Tokyo, Japan

Emerging Vision Kansai, Galerie Taménaga Osaka / Osaka, Japan

ART OSAKA 2025, Osaka City Central Public Hall 3F / Osaka, Japan

Shapes, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

Merry Cherry Blossom, Galerie Tamenaga / Kyoto Japan

Literal Collisions, Hall Keiryu (FINCH ARTS) / Kyoto, Japan

Favorites, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

2024 Drawing Today, Morooka Seisakujo / Saitama, Japan

artKYOTO 2024, Shōsei-en Garden / Kyoto, Japan

ACTIVATE ART + KOGEl HAGAKURE, The Saga University Art Museum / Saga, Japan

ART OSAKA 2024, Osaka City Central Public Hall / Osaka, Japan

PARIS, Galerie Tamenaga / Osaka, Japan

Monochrome, Galerie Tamenaga / Tokyo, Japan

2023 Tricolore, Galerie Taménaga Kyoto / Kyoto, Japan

ART OSAKA 2023, Osaka City Central Public Hall / Osaka, Japan

2022 If there were no Japanese painting in Japan: version of Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum,

Tokyo Metropolitan art museum Gallery A / Tokyo, Japan

Hankyu X ART Collectors' New Stars Art Exhibition 2022, Hankyu Department Store

Umeda Main Store 9F / Osaka, Japan

ONE ART TAIPEI 2022, THE SHERWOOD TAIPEI / Taipei, Taiwan

2021 The 8th Higashiyama Kaii Memorial Nikkei Nihonga Award, The Ueno Royal Museum /

Tokyo, Japan

Portraits, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

Scenery in Mock-up, Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts / Taipei, Taiwan

Nouvel Horizon Japon, Galerie Taménaga / Paris, France

2020 ART OSAKA WALL by APCA / Osaka, Japan

Shikansuiyo – Art of the One Hundred Year Forest, Meiji Jingu Museum / Tokyo, Japan

Nouvelle ère du Japon, Galerie Tamenaga / Tokyo, Japan

Art Paris 2020 Digital, galerie tamenaga PARIS / Paris, France

ONE ART TAIPEI, The Sherwood TAIPEI / Taipei, Taiwan

2019 MARUMASU GINZA / Tokyo

-MANGIRI, Sunshine City alpa B1 / Tokyo, Japan

New Era of Japan IV, galerie tamenaga PARIS / Paris, France

SOE BY KENGO NAKAMURA EXHIBITION, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

KENGO NAKAMURA EXHIBITION BY SOE, M.I.U. / Tokyo, Japan

ART OSAKA 2019, HOTEL GRANVIA OSAKA / Osaka, Japan

Art Paris 2019, Grand Palais / Paris, France

Collection, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

MSBC Eath Garden / Tokyo, Japan

ONE ART TAIPEI, The sherwood Taipei / Taipei, Taiwan

2018 ART OSAKA 2018, HOTEL GRANVIA OSAKA / Osaka, Japan

Nouvelle ère du Japon III, Galerie taménaga France / Paris, France

Hiroshima / Nagasaki - Imago Mundi, GALLERIE DELLE PRIGIONI / Treviso, Italy

only 2 colors, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

with Cats, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

FUJISANTEN, AWAJI Cafe & Gallery / Tokyo, Japan

2017 Art Space Rashinban / Tokyo, Japan

TOBU Department 5F Art Gallery / Chiba, Japan

2014 Artisic Christmas vol.VIII, Takashimaya Shinjuku Store 10F gallery / Tokyo, Japan

2016 TOKYO-GA, MITSUOKA Azabu Showroom / Tokyo, Japan

Nouvelle ere du Japon II, galerie tamenaga Paris / Paris, France

showcase, Showcase MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

2015 Shonzuizu, Takashimaya Nihombashi Store Art Gallery X / Tokyo, Japan

Nouvelle ere du Japon, galerie tamenaga Paris / Paris, France

The Exhibition of the Yokohama Museum of Art: Collection 2015 Partz, Yokohama

Museum of Art / Kanagawa, Japan

Gigmenta Hardcore of Nihonga, The Artcomplex Center of Tokyo / Tokyo, Japan

2014 Modern Portrait, Ginza Mitsukoshi 8F gallery / Tokyo, Japan

2013 Gift of Art, Isetan Shinjuku Store / Tokyo, Japan

Imago Mundi, Fondazione Querini Stampalia / Venice, Italy

TAKASHIMAYA Nihombashi Store, TAKASHIMAYA Shinjuku Store / Tokyo, Japan

FIELD TRIP PROJECT, Enokojima Art, Culture and Creative Center, Osaka Prefecture /

Osaka, Japan

The Power of Manga: Osamu Tezuka and Shotaro Ishinomori, Museum of Contemporary

Art Tokyo / Tokyo, Japan

Takashimaya Art Walking, Takashimaya Department Store Shinjuku / Tokyo, Japan

Mitsukoshi Department Store Ginza branch / Tokyo, Japan

ART GALLERY × SUUMO VALENTINE'S FESTA 2013 / Tokyo, Japan

2012 XYZ, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

DAN T"EA DESIGNTIDE>CHANOYU SIDE, Isetan Department Store / Tokyo, Japan

Shinozaki Bunka Plaza / Tokyo, Japan

Takashimaya Rose Art session, Takashimaya Department Store / Tokyo, kanagawa,

Osaka and Kyoto, Japan

CRATE GALLERY, BookGallery CAUTION / Tokyo, Japan

2011 SHIBU Culture, Seibu Department Store Shibuya branch / Tokyo, Japan

MOVE!, L MD galerie / Paris, France

2008 Kunst Oktoberfet '08, MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY STUDIO / Tokyo, Japan

2006 COOL 4, GALLERY 360°/ Tokyo, Japan

NIHONGA Painting : Six Provocative Artists, Yokohama Museum of Art / Kanagawa,

Japan

2005 Japanese Artists at Lichthof, LICHTHOF / Cologne, Germany

ART/ROOM, ART FRONT GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

2004 art is christmas christmas is art, CAI International / Hamburg, Germany

Two-person show - Japanese style painting - MACHIDA Kumi, NAKAMURA Kengo,

NISHIMURA GALLERY / Tokyo, Japan

Zimmer frei, Murata & Friends / Berlin, Germany

2003 SHINKUS multiple, Gallery TEZZ / Tokyo, Japan

Multiples + Kultiples, ARTicle, Galerie+Edition / Cologne, Germany

QUERBLIK 2, Koelnische Stadtmuseum / Cologne, Germany

Hanshin Tigers championship commemoration exhibition, studio BIG ART / Kanagawa,

Japan

LANDMINES EXHIBITION 2, FADs artspace / Tokyo, Japan

home of Midori Mitamura, project by Steff Adames / Tokyo, Japan

2001 Shiori Project, The city library of Ishikari / Hokkaido, Japan

Everything is new, ARTicle, Galerie+Edition / Cologne, Germany

2000 Tokyo Tatami Space Exhibition, Tatsumi Orimoto House / Kanagawa, Japan

1999 A liked sensu exhibition 4, Living design gallery / Tokyo, Japan

1998 Multiples & Kultiples, ARTicle, Galerie+Edition / Cologne, Germany

TOKYO ROOMS, ARTicle, Galerie+Edition / Cologne, Germany

1997 Project 2000bug@zone/transmission, @zone / Tokyo, Japan

Two Thousand Bug, Gallery Ryug i / Tokyo, Japan

Walking museum Takashimaya times Square, Takashimaya Times Square / Tokyo, Japan

Green, Giza 9bidou Gallery / Tokyo, Japan

1996 Morphe'96 -Asian Wing, Harajuku, Aoyama / Tokyo, Japan

1995 Contemporary Japanese Style Painting '95, Gallery ARIES / Tokyo, Japan

Public Collection

Yokohama Museum of Art / Kanagawa, Japan