KADOKURA NAOKO was born in Chiba in 1977. In the year 2001, she graduated from the Culture Art Institute, Vocational School.
For Kadokura Naoko it is important to capture the very moment of sad emotions. Her heart is touched by the anxiety and madness during the crisis between childhood and adulthood, by life-force and lived feelings as well as the impudence to survive, and constantly goes on drawing this theme. The persons in the pictures that are reduced to faces are young girls that have parted from their friends or boyfriends. They are lonely figures who are taken aback and have dreadful facial expressions.
The artist brings the Japanese characteristics of black hair and black pupils in the technique of oil painting with charcoal on the canvas, and because of the installation on a white background, at the first glance those works seem like monochrome pictures. The sensual and slightly opened lips are dyed in pink color and the viewer is taken aback by the female shapes and the strong eye-lines. Male observers may be enchanted, while female observers may express their disgust. These drawings are certainly affectionate for everyone.
Solo Exhibitions
1999 First Solo-Exhibition “Department N” (Ginza: Public Section)
2000 Face-Exhibition / Omiya
2000 Compass Art Space / Kyobashi (’02, ’03, ’05, ’06, ‘07)
2000 Terashima Culture Center / Kashiwa
2001 Gallery Ippodo / Shinagawa
2001 Gallery Kura / Omiya
2003 Internet Exhibition / Ueda, Nagano
2004 Gallery SAZA
2007 Meguri / Ueno
2008 Paper Pulp Assembly Hall, Ginza
2008 Gallery Tsubaki, Kyobashi
Group Exhibitions
1997 Terashima Culture Center / Kashiwa
1998-2000 Culture Art Institute, Vocational School, div. exhibitions
2000 Christmas Art (House Square Yokohama, Compass Art Space Kyobashi)
2000 Hiroo
2001 Gallery Moteki
2001 Compass Art Gallery / Kyobashi (02’, 03’, 04’, 05’, 06’, 07)
2001 Tanuki / France, Lyon (02’)
2001 Misawa Homes / Yokohama
2001 Sky Door Art Place / Aoyama
2002 Izumi Kemigawahama Exposition / Chiba
2002 Shimin Gallery / Funabashi
2003 Nagano Museum for Contemporary Art / Nagano
2004 Mominoki Gallery / Jyuugaoka (06’)
2004 Sai Gallery / Minami Aoyama (05’)
2004 Towa Gallery, Setagaya Museum
2004 Yamanakako Museum
2005 Gallery Hajime / Matsubarako, Nagano
2005 T.BOX / Ginza
2006 Art Frontier / Shinagawa
2006 Gallery Kajima / Ginza (07’)
Awards
2000 Culture Forum 104 Exhibition, First Prize (Judge: Minemura Toshiaki)
2003 Culture Forum 104 Exposition / Kashiwa: First Prize（Judge: Prof. Motoe Kunio）
