“A World On Paper”

Masaya Nakayama, a Brooklyn-based contemporary artist, will be presenting his first solo exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. The exhibition consists of works made in New York City throughout 2020 to 2021 – a time when life changed dramatically for everyone.

“A World On Paper” consists of a series of works bringing attention to the various fleeting moments and feelings that can easily escape our perception. Globally, people experienced the profound impact from COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and general social unrest. For the artist, this led to a grapple with what it means to fully embrace life (teinei-ni-ikiru), a theme prevalent throughout his work during the past several years.

Much of the current work was produced under lockdown during secluded studio sessions in New York. During these sessions, coming from the art studios next door could be heard the famous song, “Let It Be” by The Beatles. Unexpectedly, this one song perfectly captured the entire mood of the building during this period.

Nothing is a given anymore. What was once expected, such as the care of essential workers in the city, could no longer be met with mere silent appreciation, but through saying out loud the words, “thank you.” Only with explicitly expressed gratitude and action can the ties within a community be renewed.

Alongside these various changes in New York was the visible rise in homelessness and worsening sense of safety in the neighborhood. Almost instantly, the meaning behind the value of a dollar fundamentally changed and came into question.

“A World On Paper” aims to uncover and grasp the subtle moments which can easily slip away from us in a world moving at a dizzying pace. Notions of how truth and meaning are understood are intently explored through techniques employed by the artist, such as through the use of prominent white lines throughout the paintings. Our gaze naturally interprets such contrasting lines as something imprinted over the paintings. However, these lines are carefully created by peeling away masking tape from underneath to reveal the canvas below. In this way, the viewer is steered towards an understanding of how the canvas creates the lines and its color – inviting us to understand the hidden truths beneath our daily interactions and encounters, especially as it was exposed during the recent pandemic.