Makiko Nakamura : ART SG

 

Nakamura begins each canvas with a grid of simple, repetitive geometric shapes, using this foundation to build exquisite paintings that are meticulously layered over the course of many months. Every step in her painstaking process contributes to the final piece, resulting in burnished, undulating surfaces that shift and change with the surrounding light. This interplay creates a hypnotic, ethereal quality, drawing the viewer into the painting's dynamic, ever-evolving presence.

 

Makiko Nakamura was born in Japan in 1951 and raised by her grandparents. Their house was filled with painting materials, and her grandfather taught her to use them, imparting techniques in calligraphy, lacquerwork, and traditional Japanese painting. As an only child, Nakamura described painting as her closest companion, consuming her daily life.  In 1966 she went to art school in Kyoto, after which she worked as a film editor.  In 1995, she moved to Paris and later to the University of Pennsylvania to resume her studies. In 1999, she settled in Dublin, where she lived and worked until 2013, becoming an Irish citizen in 2011. Examples of her work from this period are held in the collection of the Irish Museum of Modern Art as well as two major commissions for the Gate Theatre.  Nakamura currently lives and works in Kyoto.