We experience things and happenings by seeing them first. When we perceive the object in front of us, our point of view is unconsciously focused on it. However, is it true that something existing beyond our point of view is just like what we are observing? Nakanishi produces his works, not only relying on seeing, but dealing with his act itself which tries to recognize things anew in relationship between space and body. 

Based on his sculptural experience, Nakanishi takes an object as positive and the space behind (or surrounding) the object as negative. He does not take figure/ground relationship only from either side, but takes materials and nonmaterials, visible and invisible, and time and space which are in binary opposition from both extremities. Then he tries to visualize the world where those matters co-exist. His attitude as such is clearly shown in Layer Drawing and Stripe Drawing, the representative series among his works he started creating from the beginning of the 2000s. 

In this exhibition, Nakanishi attempts to approach, in his original way, the concept “smoke” he has been interested in ever since around the time when the above series were created. “Smoke” is matter, existing in the space but vapors away eventually. It is certain that the smoke sometimes occupies our view to a large extent, but disappears soon, changing its form. There the same theme and question are involved, observed in the above two series. In this new series, “Memory of smoke”, his interest shifts from perceptual recognition to psychological “two side of the same coin”. For example, opposing matters such as creation and destruction, abundance and decay, hope and fear are emerged in the work at the same time. He attempted to touch something which certainly exists “there”, which cannot be get hold of physically, visually and mentally. Thus, “smoke” evokes in our minds living in the modern society various implications.