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Biography
Nihonga style painter Daisuke Nakano (b. 1974) paints with an animated expression that imbue his images with a lively energy. He is precise, visionary, and patient. Each line is perfectly calculated to capture perpetual movement; hdepicts a sense of time standing still. Nakano explores the unique sense of two-dimensional space particular to Japanese Nihonga painting. Nakano is inspired to use gold or silver leaf as a base—a method developed by Ito Jakuchu of the Rinpa School during the Edo period (1615–1868). Evanescence and sorrow take center stage in Nakano's depictions of nature's overwhelming powerand the climax of life: flowers in full bloom will eventually fall and return to the earth. It is the intoxicating paradox of life which Daisuke Nakano realizes in vivid and sublime color.
Biography
Graduated from Doda Bijutsu Kogei High School. At the young age of 19, Daisuke exhibited his artwork at the group exhibition.
2019 Solo exhibition, "Burst of Nature" (Ippodo Gallery New York, USA)
Exhibition at Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts and Culture (Kyoto, Japan)
2020 Exhibition, A Brush With Beauty at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields (USA)
2021 Solo exhibition, "Painting Radiance" (Ippodo Gallery New York, USA)
2026 Solo exhibition, "Banquet of Life: Nihonga Paintings by Daisuke Nakano" (Ippodo Gallery New York, USA)
Public Collection:
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields (USA)
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Contributing Essay
Drawing on the techniques of Japanese painting that have been passed down for centuries, Japanese painter Daisuke Nakano uses folding screens and other supports to capture the shifting play of light and the vibrant energy of life, creating paradisiacal landscapes overgrown with fantastical flora. In doing so, he elevates historically grounded techniques and materiality into a contemporary visual language.
In June 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic when connections became tenuous and many people could only find their place in nature through their distance from it, the first Daisuke Nakano exhibition on the West Coast opened at the Portland Japanese Garden. Intertwining traditional Japanese techniques with the unique color sensibility of Western naturalism, Nakano’s works created a dreamlike space woven with wildlife and lush, utopian landscapes. This worldview swiftly resonated beyond art enthusiasts, captivating a broader audience familiar with the aesthetics of gardens and Japanese music. His supple, translucent colors enchanted countless viewers.
Nakano’s dynamic, shimmering depictions, imbued with a depth and three-dimensionality akin to prayer, beckon the viewer into this paradise. And the artist's gaze, seemingly capturing reality more vividly than reality itself, speaks quietly to us.
“Eternity dwells within movement, and energy stirs within stillness.”
Come witness the tapestry of Banquet of Life.
— Akihito NakanishiPortland Japanese GardenCo-Chief Executive Officer２０２６年３月 ケンブリッジ
Banquet of Life 展に寄せて
日本画家・中野大輔は、数百年にわたり受け継がれてきた日本画の技法を礎に、屏風をはじめとした支持体へ光のうつろいと生命の躍動を封じ込め、時に幻想の植物に覆われた楽園的ランドスケープを立ち上げる。歴史に裏打ちされた技術とマテリアリティを、現代の視覚言語へと昇華させる前衛的なアーティストである。
2021年6月、つながりが希薄となり、多くの人が自然との距離感の中でしか自身の居場所を測り得なくなっていたコロナ禍のただ中で、西海岸初となる中野大輔展は、ポートランド日本庭園で幕を開けた。和の伝統技法に、西洋のナチュラリズムに見られる独自の色彩感覚を重ね合わせ、野生動物と豊潤で理想郷的な風景が織りなす夢幻の空間。その世界観は、美術ファンにとどまらず、庭園や日本音楽などの美意識に親しむ幅広い層へと瞬く間に広がり、しなやかで透明感のある色彩は数多の人々を魅了した。
躍動し、煌めきを帯びて変容する描写は、「祈り」にも似た奥行きと立体感を伴い、鑑賞者をその楽園へと誘う。そして本物以上に現実を掬い取るかのような作家のまなざしが、静かに私たちに語りかける。
「永遠は動きの中にこそ宿り、静けさの中にエネルギーは胎動する」
Banquet of Life 展が紡ぎ出すものを、この場で確かめたい。ポートランド日本庭園
共同最高経営責任者
中西玲人 -
Works
Daisuke Nakano Japan, b. 1974
Deer, 2010Mineral pigments on paperH64 x W38 ¼ in,
H162.1 x W97 cmA19066Courtesy of Ippodo GalleryDaisuke Nakano’s 2010 painting, Deer, illustrates a herd of deer in action. The directional movement present in this painting is fantastic. The soft, chalk-like qualities of the paint on the canvas makes the deer’s movement quick and dream-like. The soft glow of the sunrise in the horizon, shining on the snow in the foreground, can almost be felt through the canvas as if the sun is radiating from the painting and into the space of the audience.
PaintingVideoExhibitions-
Banquet of Life: Nihonga Paintings by Daisuke Nakano
19 Mar - 18 Apr 2026Exhibition opens Thursday, March 19th, 2026 coinciding with Asia week new yorkRead more
Opening Reception at 35 N Moore Street, TriBeCa: March 19, 2026, 6–8 PM
Private viewing by appointment only.
NEW YORK, NY – Ippodo Gallery is pleased to present Banquet of Life: Nihonga Paintings by Daisuke Nakano, the solo exhibition of acclaimed Japanese Nihonga painter Daisuke Nakano at Ippodo Gallery in TriBeCa, New York. Latest paintings featuring traditionally depicted scenes of flora and fauna are on view from March 19 to April 18, 2026. Nakano's much-anticipated return to New York coincides with Asia Week 2026; the artist joins us in New York from his native Japan for an opening reception on March 19. -
Light and Abundance: Gold in Japanese Art
13 Mar - 17 Apr 2025Exhibition opens Thursday, March 13, 2025 35 N Moore Street, TriBeCa New York, NY — GRAND OPENING Ippodo Gallery invites you to join our inaugural opening of the new downtown...Read more -
Painting Radiance
Light and Nature in the Art of Daisuke Nakano 25 Mar - 23 Apr 2021If There is a Heaven Daisuke Nakano creates paintings of light. I think, if heaven exists, it would resemble the landscapes of Nakano’s creation. Following Illuminating All Over the World,...Read more -
Burst of Nature
Nihonga paintings by Daisuke Nakano 7 Mar - 6 Apr 2019Burst of Nature Shoko Aono A nandina plant with red berries struggles under the weight of the falling snow while a marten holds its breath, its eyes gazing in our...Read more
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