Sleeping Trees: Okinawa Naha Matsuo

Born in 1993 in Okinawa, lives and works in Okinawa. Uehara creates photographic works as a practice of capturing memories and scars that emerge within landscapes, tracing the layered passage of time embedded in places and objects. In 2020, “The Others” won the New Photography Award at the 36th Higashikawa Awards, Japan. “Haunted Gardens” was awarded the Encouragement Prize and the Ohara Museum of Art Prize at the VOCA (The Vision of Contemporary Art) 2024. Her photo book “Sleeping Trees” was published in 2022 from the AKAAKA Art Publishing Inc., Japan. Her major solo exhibitions include “The Others” at Canon Open Gallery 1 (Tokyo, 2019), “The Others” at INTERFACE – Shomei Tomatsu Lab. (Okinawa, 2019), “Green Rooms” at MISA SHIN GALLERY (Tokyo, 2024), “Green Rooms, Peace Island” at Art Gallery Atos (Okinawa, 2025), and “Even If All the Ruins Were Swept Away without a Trace” at Yokohama Civic Art Gallery Azamino (Kanagawa, 2026). Major group exhibitions include “PARADISE OKINAWA” MISA SHIN GALLERY (Tokyo, 2022). “VOCA Exhibition 2024” at The Ueno Royal Museum (Tokyo, 2024), and “MOT’s 30th Anniversary Exhibition: Choreographies of the Everyday” at Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (Tokyo, 2025). Born in Okinawa, Japan in 1993 Lives and works in Okinawa Education 2016 Tokyo Zokei University, Tokyo, Japan Solo Exhibitions 2026 The Shore Before, MISA SHIN GALLERY, Tokyo Even If All the Ruins Were Swept Away without a Trace, Yokohama Civic Art Gallery Azamino, Kanagawa 2025 in the white season, Sugarcane Room gallery+cafe, Okinawa Green Rooms : Island of Peace, Art Gallery Atos, Okinawa 2024 Green Days, Kanzan Gallery, Tokyo Green Rooms, MISA SHIN GALLERY, Tokyo 2022 Sleeping Trees, Nikon Salon, Tokyo; Foto Space Reago, Okinawa 2021 The Others 2020-2021, IG Photo Gallery, Tokyo 2019 The Others, Canon Open Gallery 1, Tokyo; INTERFACE – Shomei Tomatsu Lab., Okinawa Selected Group Exhibitions 2025 MOT’s 30th Anniversary Exhibition: Choreographies of the Everyday, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo 2024 VOCA Exhibition 2024, The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo T3 PHOTO FESTIVAL TOKYO NEW JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY 1974 → 2024, Shoei Building, Tokyo 2022 PARADISE OKINAWA, MISA SHIN GALLERY, Tokyo Awards 2024 The Encouragement Prize and the Ohara Museum of Art Prize, VOCA (The Vision of Contemporary Art) 2024 2020 New Photographer Awards, The 36th Higashikawa Awards Public Collection The National Museum of Art, Osaka The Ohara Museum of Art, Okayama Higashikawa Town, Hokkaido Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo Marukawa Collection