Nihonbashi Takashimaya S.C. Main Building will host a solo exhibition by contemporary artist Hiroko Nakakita titled "Rinne," running from July 15 (Wed) to July 20 (Mon, Holiday), 2026, at the Art Gallery on the 6th floor.
Held in the year marking her 25th anniversary as a painter, Nakakita shared the following statement about the exhibition:
For this exhibition, I created works around the themes I have long explored: "Apoptosis" and "Rinne" (reincarnation).
"Apoptosis" depicts life completing its role and connecting to a new cycle, while "Rinne" portrays the flow of life being reborn within that cycle, accepting change and moving forward.
Having grown up in the Hanshinkan region, I continued creating in long silence.
Hanshinkan is a place where modern lifestyle culture coexists with traditional values, and it was also the cultural soil that gave rise to the Gutai Art Association after the war.
The richness and contradictions of this region have deeply influenced my sensibility.
Looking back through time, I also find myself drawn to the women who lived in the Taisho era.
Even within a highly restrictive society, they trusted their own sensibilities, chose how they dressed and lived, and sought new forms of expression. Their "freedom within constraint" radiates a quiet, unwavering light of will, and it has shaped the depth of my work and the foundation of my expression.
Layering kimono and their patterns with my own experiences and the environment of Hanshinkan, I overlay the cycle and transformation of life, and the beauty of freedom within constraint, onto my works.
My works incorporate wave patterns and bird motifs.
The wave pattern symbolizes the flow of time and the rhythm of change, reflecting the continuity between past and future and the fluctuations of the heart.
Birds, voiceless beings that fly into the sky, are symbols of prayer, forgiveness, and rebirth.
Just as feathers fall and grow back again, people too let go of their old selves and move toward a new self.
I aim to express the sense of a cycle that connects the past, the present, and the future.
The exhibition brings together more than 40 works, mostly new pieces, offering a full view of Nakakita's artistic world.
Featured Works
kaze-wataru, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2026
Hanahotaru I, oil on canvas, 2026
Ginbou, oil and thread (Nishijin) on canvas, 2026
Exhibition Details
Exhibition: Hiroko Nakakita Solo Exhibition "Rinne"
Period: July 15 (Wed) to July 20 (Mon, Holiday), 2026
The artist will be present at the gallery on July 15 (Wed), 19 (Sun), and 20 (Mon, Holiday).
Venue: Art Gallery, 6F, Nihonbashi Takashimaya S.C. Main Building (2-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
Hours: 10:30 AM to 7:30 PM
Inquiries: Art Gallery, 6F, Nihonbashi Takashimaya S.C. Main Building (main line) 03-3211-4111
About Contemporary Artist Hiroko Nakakita
© K.Kurigami
Born in Hyogo Prefecture, Nakakita completed her graduate studies in oil painting at the Tokyo University of the Arts' Graduate School of Fine Arts in 2006 before beginning her career as a painter in earnest. Working from studios in Kobe and California, she has presented her work both in Japan and abroad. Raised in a traditional household, she paints around the tension between reason and emotion, and between constraint and freedom. Her work is defined by colors born from overflowing emotion and the drips of flowing paint. In recent years, she has also incorporated the new motif of "the cycle of life."
In 2021, she opened her own gallery, "Hiroko Nakakita," in Kobe's former foreign settlement district. Beyond painting, she pursues projects in new fields, including collaborative product development that draws on her distinctive worldview. She continues to expand her range of expression by richly incorporating the spirituality of Japanese culture such as kimono, tea ceremony, dance, and crafts.
Official website: https://hiroko-nakakita.com/
Official Instagram: @hirokonakakita_official
