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TOMOKO NAGAO
1976, Born in Nagoya Japan. work and live in Milano, Italy
Email:info@tomokonagao.info Web site: http://www.tomokonagao.info/

2003 Graduated from Chelsea college Art & Design, MA Fine Art, in London
2001 Graduated from Byam Shaw Art college Post Graduate, in London
1999 Graduated from Bsemi Schooling system, in Yokohama Japan
1997 Graduated from SAGA Art college, Printing course, in Kyoto Japan
1995 Graduated from Toho High School, Fine Art course, in Nagoya Japan

PHOTO BY PAOLA FRANCESCA ARPONE>>

The emphatic flatness of the image and its clearly defined outlines, derived from the visual language of the postmodern Japanese art movement Superflat, here seem like an extreme version of the style of the Old Renaissance master, which worked on similar principles. This affinity is unintentionally reminiscent of the way in which Japanese art of the Edo period was perceived in Europe during the second half of the nineteenth century, around the same time as Botticelli was rediscovered. Superflat routinely employs the aesthetic concept of 'kawaii', known in Europe primarily through Japanese animated films, using it to comment on Japanese consumer culture. Nagao's adaptations of Old Master paintings are intended as an ironic reference to the economic mechanisms of power in the production of images, where Renaissance patrons like the Medici have now been replaced by the creative directors of major brands.  RR

Tomoko Nagao is one of the main contemporary artists of Micropop art. She was born in 1976 in Nagoya, Japan. She studied in japan assimilating Nara Yoshitomo's style made of stylized shapes and Takashi Murakami's Superflat style. And in London she attended the Chelsea College of Art. Her production includes original paintings (Gioconda, Infanta Margherita with Coca-Cola and Kitty), stencils (Candy-Candy Blue MicroPop Superflat, Canestra di frutta Yellow MicroPop Superflat) and vectorial art (Botticelli - The Birth of Venus with Baci, The Great Wave of Kanagawa with MC, Cupnoodle, Kewpie, Kikkoman and Kitty). She practices the Superflat style, the postmodern Japanese art movement founded by Takashi Murakami. So her artworks are characterized by flat and emphatic images and defined outlines and she's considered the most important exponent of MicroPop Art in Italy. She usually reinterprets Renaissance masterpieces employing the Japanese aesthetic concept of "kawaii" that makes everything cool. Tomoko takes Caravaggio, Velázquez, Tiziano, La Tour, Botticelli, Hokusai's artworks and she revisits them, also introducing global brands like Coca-Cola, iPad, Barilla, Play Station PSP. Nagao's adaption of Old Master paintings are intended as an ironic reference to the economic mechanisms of power in the production of images, where Renaissance patrons like Medici have now been replaced by the creative directors of major brands. In September 2015 her "Botticelli - The Birth of Venus with Baci" was exhibited at the Gemalde Galerie of Berlin in occasion of "The Botticelli Renaissance"group show. The same artwork was also on show on March 2016 at the Victoria and Albert Museum of London. The artist was protagonist of many other exhibitions in Italy (Forte dei Marmi, Porto Cervo, Parma, Milano) and she's going to collaborate with some famous international fashion brands. Tomoko Nagao lives and works in Milan.  By Christian Gancitano

Solo shows:

2019 "TOMOKO NAGAO" Triennale di Milano, Milano Italy.
2019 "SHISEIDO ARTLAB " collaboration and workshop with SHISEIDO, Venezia Firenze Roma Catagna Milano Italy.
2018 "Iridescent Obsessions TOMOKO NAGAO" Deodato Arte, Milano Italy.
2018 "TOMOKO NAGAO" in Galleria Alberto Sordi, Roma Italy.
2017 "TOMOKO NAGAO" Cantina Majolini, Ome Franciacorta Italy.
2012 "TOMOKO NAGAO-new wave of TOMOKO, ONDA POP" in lo spazio eventi MONDADORI store, Milano Italy.
2012 "Superflat experience di TOMOKO NAGAO" Galleria Famiglia margini, Milano Italy.
2012 "Micropop- Kawaizazione di TOMOKO" MO.OM, Olgiate Olona, Italia.
2007 "PoP PuPPet" Galleria Famighia Margini, in Milano Italia. www.famigliamargini.eu 
2003 "Sweet and Melt" IOSA Gallery, in London.
1999 "Castle in the sky" at YAMATE 234 Gallery, in Yokohama.
1998 YURAKU BASHI Gallery, in Tokyo.

Group shows:

2019
"Oh my pop!", nhow milano, milano Italy.
"Girls Girls - International Exhibition of Art & Illustration", Organized by Cultural Affairs Department of New Taipei City Government, Implemented by Fun Design, at Taipei City Arts Center, Taipei China.
"SURFASHION", GALLERIA VIK MILANO, Milano Italy.

2018
"Japan pop in Franciacorta" Franciacorta outlet village, Rovato Italy.

2017
"Kirakira" Contemporary Concept in Galleria Cavour, Bolongna Italy.

2016
"Botticelli Reimagined" in V&A, London UK.
"The last last supper" Villa Burba, Rho Italia.

2015
"Botticelli Renaissance" in Gemäldegalerie, Berlin Germany.
"Premio Pio Alferano 2015", curated by Camillo Langone and Vittorio Sgarbi, Castello di Castellabate, Castellabate, Italia.
"Super pop zoo" Ex complesso conventuale San Francesco, Alessandria, Italia.
"Aperipop" , Milano Italia.
"Pop icon" Museo Diocesano, Milano Italia.
"Nippop 2015 " Bolonia Italia.
"M-WAM - making our future" Expo 2015 Milano, Fondazione Triulza, Milano Italia.
"M-WAM - Milano World Arts Map " Fabbrica del Vapore, Milano Italia.
"Asta Adisco" Sotheby's, Milano Italia.
"ONE: Breart2015" galleria Hernandez, Milano Italia.

2014
"Super pop woman " Giuseppe Veniero Project, Palermo Italia.
"Sistema Kunrei" White noise gallery, Roma Italia.
"BRERART 2014" Live painting at giardini di via montello, Milano Italia.
"KabukiManga" Orsorama, Milano Italia.
"Popup revolution" Casorma XXIV Maggio- Milano, MdM museum- Porto Cervo Sardinia, l'art gallery- Parma Italia.
"Superheroes 2.0" Villa Bertelli, Forte dei Marmi & Gestalt Gallery, Pietrasanta Italia.
"SO SURREAL SO POP" GALLERIA DAVICO ARTE, Torino Italia.
"Hungry for Art" Superstudio, Milano Italia.

2013
"Mad hatters" , Flower Pepper Gallery, California, USA.
"Bentornato Caravaggio 2013" la manifestazione organizzata da Decima Musa Caravaggio, Caravaggio Italia.
 "GAZE and Contemplate" Nagoya, Japan.
 "Link art fair HK" in art basel in HK, Hong kong in China.
 "Edo POP" Arte accessibile,design week out events, spazio sole 24 ore , in Milano Italia.
 "SALOME & NIPPOSUGGESTIONI " via Dante, in Milano Italia.
 "Road map" spazio OCA (officine creative ansaldo) in Millano, Italia.

2012
 "POP UP", Arte accessibile in Milano.
 "NEO POP POP SURREALISM VS URBAN ART", SPAZIO ORLANDI, ART KITCHEN in Milano.

2011
 "SANRIO FOR SMILES EXHIBITION @ Mijapan 2011" Chiostri dell’Umanitaria, Milano Italy.
 "New grotesque" Bsilica di Sant'Ambrogio Milano, Milano Italy.
 "Dolls" Museo Diocesano di Brescia, Brescia Italy.

2010
 "Wa infinity-Live painting" corso garibaldi, Milano Italy.
 "Videoart Yearbook 2010" Chiostro di Santa Cristina, Bologna Italia.
 "Micropop & Nipposuggestioni" ANGELart Gallery, Milano Italy.

2009
 Film screening at EWHA Womans University,Seoul Krea.
 "Crosstalk International Videoart festival in Budapest" Budapest Hungary.
 "il corpo oltre il corpo" Galleria Famiglia Margini, Milano Italy.
 "digital is human" Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci", Milano Italy.
 "DONNE ED EROS" Galleria Famiglia Margini, Milano Italy.
"FUWARI IN PALAZZO REALE", installation of Tomoko Nagao, bookshop of "mostra SAMURAI" in Palazzo reale, Milano Italia.

2008
 "Juppun Japan" Chelsea College of Art and Design, London U.K.
 "Cronosfera festival" a Cavatore Italy.
 "Pokopony in Palermo", Skip Gallery in Palermo Italy.
 "InContemporanea, numero DUE". An art events by Provincia di Milano. Triennale in Milano.
 "SOLD OUT", Milan, Italy.
2007
"C-PRAYER FESTIVAL" BASE B zona bovisa, Milan, Italy.
"7th EEA21 Ecology Earth Art Exhibition",The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, in Saitama-shi, Japan.
"InContemporanea, numero UNO". An art events by Provincia di Milano. Triennale in Milano.

 2006
"JAPAPOP", Spazio OREA MALIA in Milan, Italy.
"GEOGRAFIE DI UN NON LUNGO.", the event in "Fuori Mi Art" and provincia di Milano - swimming pool Xpo in Milan, Italy.

 2005
 "Iimawashi exhibition"- Merz gallery, in the Edinburgh Art Festival, in Scotland, UK.
 " What Happens When Everything is Reduced to Ones and Zeros? "- Pearl fisher gallery, in London ,UK.

 2004
 "Art Discount "- Xpo gallery, in Milan, Italy.
 "First step"-Art cottage gallery, Tokyo.

 2003 Chelsea College MA, graduate show, in London, UK.
 2002 "Two stories" IOSA Gallery, in London.
 2001 Byam shaw Art college graduate show, in London, UK.
 2000 "Challenge-2" in Nagoya.

 1999
 CANON Photo Prize Show at P3 Gallery, in Tokyo.
 Bsemi Exhibition at Yokohama City Gallery, in Yokohama.
 "Happy go lucky" at SEZON Art program, in Tokyo.
 "Hiroshima Art Works" at Haizuka Art center, in Hiroshima.
 CANON Photo Prize Show at Gallery RAKU, in Kyoto.

 1998
 Indies Art Space MARKET, in Yokohama.
 Bsemi Exhibition at Yokohama City Gallery, in Yokohama.
 "SHUZO NAMA BIJUTU" at Shopping center, in Nagoya.

Prize etc:
2003 Donated paintings in "Royal London Hospital - Vital Arts ".
1999 Best prize in "CANON Photo Award".

Press e media:
Vogue - June 2012 - fashion magazine
AT CASA. corriere - May 2012 - major news paper in Italy
Mediqstar- May 2015- media magazine
la Repubblica online - May 2012 major news paper in Italy
AMICA MODA - March 2009 - Fashion magazine in Italy

 

Pubblicazioni:
2014
present a image "Princess Candy" on the book "Candy Candy" Published by Edizioni Ultra, wrote by Lidia Bachis
Immagine di "Princess candy" pubblicata sul libro "Candy Candy" di Edizioni Ultra, curato e scritto da Lidia Bachis

2013
the Cover of the book "tradizione e parodia" wrote by Catrina Mazza, published by Cafoscarina.
Copertina del libro "tradizione e parodia" di Catrina Mazza, edizioni Cafoscarina. Conferenza su Tomoko Nagao eil Micropop presso universita' Ca foscari, Venezia, aula magna.

present a image "Princess Candy" on the book "io sono un mito" wrote by Francesca Bonazzoli , Michele Robecchi, foreword by Maurizio Cattelan, published by Electa.
Immagine di "Birth of Venus..." pubblicata sul libro "io sono un mito" di Francesca Bonazzoli e Michele Robecchi, prefazione di Maurizio Cattelan, edizioni Electa.

2008 Catalogo artbook "Sold Out" a cura di Chiara Canali