plus art co.,ltd (English: plus art co.,ltd; based in Shibuya, Tokyo; represented by Taku Nitta), a company built around the idea of enjoying contemporary art, presents Karin Nakamori Solo Exhibition "Naachin Bright," opening June 10, 2024 at +ART GALLERY, 3F Tokyu Plaza Shibuya.
Solo Exhibition ARTIST：中森かりん
CONCEPT：What is Original Picture?（What is an original work?）
As an artist of the digital-native generation, Karin Nakamori takes as her theme exploring the difference in value between the digital and the analog, and the possibility of their coexistence.
As IT technology has become widespread and creating work on a digital foundation has become the norm, she turns her attention to questions such as:
- "the difference in value between digital art and analog art"
- what exactly counts as the "original work"? (Is it the Illustrator .ai file?)
In today's art world, for a two-dimensional work the [original] is the "canvas piece," while a [reproduction] is "a scan of that original, printed and issued in a limited number." That much can be said.
In that context, her work draws attention to the fact that originality exists in both its analog and digital forms, and she frames her creative process as follows:
1. Digital drawing (original)：The artwork first created with digital tools. This digital drawing is used in every "Naachin" series piece and is treated as the "original."
2. Canvas：A canvas piece given a different ground (background and ornamentation) for each work. Each canvas is made one by one with its own originality. At the lowest layer, lines, color divisions, and a blueprint-like surface — the kind of guides needed to transfer the digitally drawn image onto the analog canvas — are inevitably drawn in.
3. Compositing (overdrawing)：The digital drawing (original) is rendered by hand onto the canvas already worked with its ground (background and ornamentation), completing the final piece. This work is defined as a "reproduction of Naachin." (Naachin itself meaning that it is reproduced.)
That a digital file and a canvas piece simultaneously possess originality — a state that at first seems impossible to hold together — exists all at once: this may be called a new interpretation of what originality means in our age. And we believe that the value of a work (of art) lies neither in the surface of the displayed canvas piece nor in the digital piece, but in the [source essence] of the artist's imagination and power of expression (that is, their singularity).
This solo exhibition centers on the "Naachin" series, which she first draws digitally on the computer and pen tablet she has used since elementary school, then transposes onto canvas. By revealing the making of the "Naachin" series, we hope visitors will experience how the value of the art experience shifts depending on what each viewer chooses to focus on (conceptuality, cost basis, value-based thinking, decorative quality… etc.).
And then, when a canvas piece is sold, we also hand over the composited data from the time of sale (the original "Nacchin" combined with each work's ground (background and ornamentation)); the "file creation date" and "file creator name" contained within serve as its certificate, which we manage on the operator side.
By fusing the differing elements and cultural backgrounds of the two media — analog and digital technology — she creates new value in art. We hope you will enjoy art with an eye of your own, unbound by medium or technique.
New series: "Naachin_Bright"
"Naachin_Bright," the new "Naachin" series she began painting late last year and presents in this solo show, revisits light and shadow. What sets it apart from the previous series is its "layer structure."
In the previous layer structure, shadow was painted in last; in the Bright series, light is painted in last, bringing the light onto the upper layers, while shadow is expressed in the ground at the very bottom.
This, too, feels like an idea and inspiration that could only come from a digital background.
プロフィール / Profile
Born in 1993 in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Drawn to manga and animation from childhood, she began drawing on her own. She started her career as a freelance illustrator, becoming familiar early on with creating using digital tools. In 2021 she began producing the "Naachin series" using analog materials, and in 2022 she held her first original-work exhibition at Calif, Shibuya PARCO, fully launching her career as an artist.
＜English Profile＞
＜中文简介＞
略歴・Biography
2023
・Study：Art & Creative Fair
・Solo exhibition「Beyond Mediums」 AND COLLECTION表参道ヒルズ
・Group exhibition「CHAPTER PATINA」上海アマンヤンユン
・Kusuri Matsumoto Kiyoshi SHIBUYA DOGENZAKA FLAG 4F
・Group exhibition「2023 SAYONARA YOROSHIKU EXHIBITION」＋ART 東急プラザ渋谷
・Group exhibition「Hello +ART Tokyu Plaza Shibuya-」 ＋ART 東急プラザ渋谷
・Group exhibition「LIBRARY OF WoVE -私の偉人-」＋ART 渋谷スクランブルスクエア
・THINGS「Colorful」jacket artwork provided
・DOES「独歩行脚 2023〜流離う雌鹿編〜」tour visuals
・Shinjuku Marui ANNEX Creators Market Vol.3
・Solo exhibition bar Hi-Unit
See other career highlights
About sales methods, goods, and more
Works for sale will be announced and displayed from 11:00 on June 10 at the +ART Online Shop or at the venue (+ART GALLERY), and sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
* The digital data for canvas pieces will be sent directly by email to the purchaser. The artist name / work title / file creation date / creator name are managed by us, so please note that if any of these are altered through tampering, verification will not be possible.
Limited-edition goods and the like are also planned for sale at the venue. Details will follow on social media.
Artist attendance / PR
For the days the artist will be present, please refer to our social media.
Inquiries about works
For a list of available works, please contact us at the email address or Instagram below.
Email：staff@pls-art.com
Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/plsart.inc/
Exhibition Details
- Venue: +ART GALLERY (3F Tokyu Plaza, inside Shibuya Fukuras)
- Title: 中森かりん Solo Exhibition “Naachin Bright”
- Dates: Monday, June 10, 2024 – Sunday, June 23; open 11:00 – 20:00
* Opening hours may change due to COVID-19. Please check our official website for the latest information.
- Venue: 3F Tokyu Plaza Shibuya (Tokyu Plaza Shibuya 3F, Shibuya Fukuras, 1-2-3 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0043)
- Access: Directly connected to the "Shibuya Fukuras Pedestrian Deck" via the west-exit concourse of JR Shibuya Station
About a 3-minute walk from "Shibuya" Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line, Den-en-toshi Line, Keio Inokashira Line, and Tokyo Metro Hanzomon, Ginza, and Fukutoshin Lines
- Admission: Free
- URL: https://pls-art-shop.com/
- Organizer: plus art co.,ltd
- Co-organizer: NOMAD GALLERY
