nakaban is active in many creative areas, contributing numerous illustrations for books and magazines, producing his own picture books, and in recent years delving also into animation. His output is prolific and diverse, his methods including pencil drawings, oil paintings, prints, collages, sculpture, etc. He says he is interested in things that, though separate from specific themes, nonetheless remain. With whatever expressive mode nakaban chooses, all his works share in exuding a scent of nostalgia, a magnetic charm that draws the viewer into their narrative.

For this solo exhibition nakaban will be debuting oil paintings created on charcoal paper (500 x 600 mm). Shunning oil paints, he has opted to work in colored pencil, which he thins using turpentine. Until now nakaban’s drawings have mainly been smaller than A4 size (210 x 297 mm), so working with this large size presented him with a new challenge. Also, his intent was to have people enjoy more realistic paintings in these times when most works are created as digital data for transfer into printed matter or videos.

nakaban lets his hand run free, then observes objectively how his drawings impact him. More than the act of drawing itself, it seems he relishes the reaction that comes after drawing. Visitors will surely enjoy seeing the many new works nakaban has created befitting his exhibition title, “this far land.”