The solo exhibition of painter Maho Nishimura was amazing again this time

I'm going to give my all to introduce the works and the solo exhibition of my favorite painter, Maho Nishimura!!

Are painters and art something special?

I think people who have "purchased a painting" are probably in the minority. Personally, I liked drawing when I was a child, and I enjoyed designing flyers for my musical hobby, but I wasn't the type to have a clear interest in the art scene. I had never been to a painter's solo exhibition, and I thought it was a story from a world a little bit removed from my own.

However, a few years ago, I was taken to a gallery by a friend who loves going out, and I found myself standing still in front of one piece of art. This is not just a figure of speech; I think I was actually unable to move in front of that work for about 20 minutes. In the end, I purchased that work on the spot. This was my encounter with Maho Nishimura.

At this gallery, which is the main venue for Maho's work announcements, a solo exhibition is held every year around November or December. Since this happened to be in my neighborhood, I started visiting from time to time. I remember being able to meet Maho, who was at the gallery during the exhibition, in the year I purchased the work, and we had a fun conversation.

Every year, as the year draws to a close, the season for Maho's solo exhibition arrives. I usually aim to go on the first day when Maho is at the gallery, so I get to see the new works for that year and hear various things about the background of their creation. Now that this has continued for many years, I feel that art is no longer something in a distant world, but has become something completely familiar to me.

In this article, I would like to introduce the artist Maho Nishimura and provide a report on this year's solo exhibition.

What kind of artist is Maho Nishimura?

Maho Nishimura is a painter who is active mainly in Nagoya. In addition to holding a solo exhibition every year at the gallery "GALLERY APA" in Mizuho Ward, Nagoya, she also regularly holds events such as permanent exhibitions at APA, as well as live painting and workshops in the suburbs of Nagoya.

When you see Maho's work, the first thing that jumps out at you is its vivid colors. Rather than concrete objects, many abstract images are used as motifs, but it is not a fluffy impression; it is characterized by its clear outlines. Rather than a three-dimensional structure, it strongly makes one conscious of a two-dimensional "plane," but when the detailed drawings composed of solid-colored planes gather one by one, a powerful impression is born as a whole that is neither two-dimensional nor three-dimensional.

As you can see when looking at Maho's portfolio, there are subtle changes in her style from year to year. According to what I heard before, in addition to natural changes over the years, there is also an aspect of consciously expanding her style. Works from the 2010s, for example, have many monochrome line drawings, which are composed of two complete black and white colors without shading. Looking at these works, I feel that a strong sense of lines and planes runs through Maho's style.

I am not a person who is knowledgeable about art, so what I have stated here is just the impression of an amateur. Even so, Maho's work has a simple power that makes the viewer feel, "Wow! It's beautiful!" In this article, I have posted many photos of the works, so as for this charm, it's like, "You can tell just by looking, right?!" By the way, I have received permission to take photos and post them at the solo exhibition venue every time, and you are welcome to take photos freely. (But don't just take pictures of the works you like, make sure to buy them too!)

This year, the 2023 solo exhibition was also bursting with energy

Now, I visited the 2023 solo exhibition, which is this year, on the first day. Although it is simple, here is a report on this solo exhibition.

GALLERY APA is divided into two floors: the "Main room" and the "Fine room." Usually, solo exhibitions by different artists are held in each, but Maho's solo exhibition is often held using both exhibition rooms to their full extent, and this time was no exception. As for the works, there are a few that were painted a little before the year of the exhibition, but many new works from that year are exhibited every year.

The work posted above is located on the wall at the very back when you proceed through the two exhibition rooms in this solo exhibition, and it is a work that was consciously made to be the main feature of this exhibition. Many of Maho's works are on canvases about the size of a palm, like the "Garden of Starlight (Sakura)" at the beginning of this article, but this one is of an overwhelming size. From the flower motif and the strength of the black and white contrast to the detailed drawings of scattered colors, I get the impression that "This is truly a Maho work!" no matter where I look.

If you look closely at Maho's work, you will notice a small existence that is almost always drawn as a supporting character. It is a mysterious white and thin existence, commonly known as "Enoki-chan." Enoki-chan can also be black, and you can see it around the bottom left in the work above.

In this exhibition, Enoki-chan is unusually featured as the main character. There are about 10 works that are portrait-like pieces of Enoki-chan, both large and small, and I laughed because I couldn't tell how much of it was a joke. The largest one among them is shown in the background of the opening party video, which I will post as a separate article later.

During the solo exhibition, art books, postcards, and small items such as sticky notes and magnets are also available. Maho-san's works are not expensive (though I personally think I would be happy to contribute more if they were priced higher), but the postcards are affordable and can be displayed in your room. As for small items like sticky notes, it is nice that they are not just for decoration, but are practical items that can be used in daily life. These are also available in the WEB SHOP mentioned later.

Since there was an opening party on the first day of this solo exhibition, I have summarized the event in another article, "Painter Maho Nishimura and her art-explosive friends (2023.12.8)". There were performances by musicians and a live drawing performance using VR. It seems Maho-san has many musician acquaintances, and she has even been in charge of CD artwork in the past.

About the details of the solo exhibition and artist information

The information for this 2023 solo exhibition is as follows. As of the publication of this article, it is still in the middle of its run, so if you are in the area, please come and visit.

Regarding goods such as postcards, there is a shop where you can purchase them online below. If there is anyone who cannot come to Nagoya due to distance but likes the works, I think you should check this out.

The artist's official website and social media are as follows. On X (Twitter), information on upcoming workshops and other events is also posted.

Finally, what is the charm of Maho Nishimura?

If I were to mention Maho-san's charm other than her works, it would be her refreshing personality, which seems unrelated to the complex and damp entanglements common in human society, and the presence of people with various charms who gather around her, attracted by her work and humanity.

The people I met while interacting with Maho-san were not necessarily artists in the art field, but I think they all have in common that they "have a world within themselves and are doing something with their own power." As you can see if you are in a company, such people are not the majority in the world, so this is quite rare.

It has been several years since I learned of Maho-san's existence, and the influence I have received goes beyond just knowing that art is interesting. It is the importance of having your own eyes, doing something with your own power, continuing to express yourself wholeheartedly, and changing.

This is completely different from reading a self-help book and thinking, "I see." That is because Maho-san is actually doing it in reality. She has been doing it all along. Whether people are watching her or not. As I am an engineer, a person who plays instruments in front of people, and a person who writes on the internet, I think I have learned a lot from Maho-san as a "person who does things on their own." Maho-san is the kind of person who makes me want to be like that too.

That is all for the content of this article. Thank you for reading such a long article to the end. Please go and see the charm of Maho Nishimura's works, which cannot be fully described no matter how much you talk about them.

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