Oil on wood sculpture

24 × 22 × 24 cm. 9 × 8 1/2 × 9 in.

Signed in English on the underside
EXHIBITED
31 Oct – 3 Nov 2014, Art Taipei 2014, The booth of Gallery Tsubaki, Taipei

PROVENANCE
Gallery Tsubaki, Tokyo
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Gallery Tsubaki, Tokyo

A Pure Mind Depicting Warmth and Children's Innocence
The Artistic Imagination of Moe Nakamura

“The tree that once stood alive fell and became a block of wood, and the block was carved into an artwork and therefore continues to breathe and live, in an endless cycle.”
—— Moe Nakamura

Born in Tokyo in 1988, Moe Nakamura graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design in 2012 and became an unstoppable new emerging force among Japanese contemporary artists. She majored in oil painting in school, but she encountered wood carving by chance. Attracted by the breathing and growing nature of wood, she has since embarked on a journey to fuse two creative techniques. In her graphic paintings, she uses a combination of nature, flora and fauna, imaginary creatures, spirits, and the most innocent children as the main characters, while in her three-dimensional sculptures, these characters leap out of the two-dimensional space, emphasizing the natural patterns and traces of time left by hand-carving. Moreover, she uses her skillful oil paints to create a rich and delicate painted surface full of soothing warmth. After graduation, she was invited by Gallery Tsubaki in Japan to start a long-term collaboration and more than ten exhibitions in Japan and abroad.

The sculpture Mind Bomb (Lot 3 ) presented this time is surrounded by a calming natural wood fragrance, and the chiseled traces bring this work to life. Thus, a child with warm orange horns on her head is born in front of our eyes. She has yellow skin and a round nose, and only reveals half of her small face, like a seed breaking out of the ground. Her eyes are slightly squinted as if she is meditating, and an ivory-white mushroom storm is above her head as if she is experiencing an imaginary brainstorm. This work can be regarded as a concrete moment when inspiration is created in the artist's mind, echoing the shape of the figure “breaking out of the ground,” in a playful and childlike manner.

Meanwhile, Child of Nature #1 (Lot 4 ) emphasizes the combination of “human and nature.” The lower and middle parts of the painting are painted in soft blue-green and white, reflecting the eternal and classic image of Mount Fuji in Japan, which embodies Nakamura's attachment to his homeland. The forest spirit in the centre is a metaphor for herself, as a young sapling showing the miracle of nature, with its brownish bark wrapped around the tender face that extends upward and sprouts new branches. The little elf looks at the world with a childish, curious eye, showing the carefree, tranquil, and pure character of the newborn child. Her delicate lips are slightly open as if she is about to cry for the first time, which fills the work with joy of new life.

Moe Nakamura's works are cute but not vulgar, bold but warm and friendly. Her sensitivity to life and her reverence for natural creatures mingle with her personal whimsy and tenderness, which gave her fame and created a “kawaii” trend in Moe's art.

Price estimate:
HKD: 250,000 – 450,000
USD: 31,800 - 57,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 300,000