Overview

A Tale of Flowers

A Sound of the Universe

 • The Japanese word "nagare" means a constant change or flow of time. Noriko Kurafuji’s painting is what Japanese aesthetician Zeami (1363–1443) called the “art of peerless charm”. It surpasses any verbal explanation and lies beyond the workings of consciousness. It is a way to characterize the subdued gracefulness - the moment of feeling that transcends the cognition.
 
• There is a Japanese language “Hanaikada” which means a flowers’ raft. It is an elegant word that represents a bunch of flowing cherry petals as a raft. And, at the same time, the flow of full fluid water will provide us with a special sense able to perceive not only a refreshing feeling but also the early summer season.
 
• Noriko Kurafuji is playing in an image of the old memory, which is sleeping in her inside, and then draws scenery appearing gradually in her play. Her world is filled with the beautiful landscape and has neither the clear beginning nor end. The world, which composed of the banquet of vivid colors, would be music rather than a picture; moreover, "the sound of the sea of the universe" rather than music.
 
• It comes back to the heart of a person looking at her work. Such a circulation resembles the flow of the human life which is hardly explained. It resembles the wave of a life flowing inside of our body like the flow of the air on the earth, though we can’t usually realize it. Leaving daily experiences like joy and sadness, her thought is free among the thoughts in the genesis, and sometime a trip of her thought will reach the sacred light with a beautiful sound. It should be the splendid happiness for Noriko Kurafuji that a tale of her odyssey, which started here, is led by such a sacred eye. However, the wave of a life does not always give her only the best moment. The tale, with light and darkness, might be forced to keep silent for a while in the dead quiet, which lost light, and her tale will certainly find out again the light of stars, which will be shining whole in the sky, as well as the deep chaos.

 

Installation shots
Biography
From Japan to the Worldwide Museum Collections

1972: Born in Tokyo, Japan

1994: Graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design -Best Graduation Work Award-

1996: Graduated from Graduate School of Joshibi University of Art and Design

 

• Public Collection:

- The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan

- Credit Suiss, Switzerland

- Daecheugho Art Museum Korea

- Japanese TV Station, Japan

- Modern Art collection of Sisseki Hospital, Japan

- Ginza Trecious Building Juno Wimens Clinic Ginza Japan

- Arty Art Gallery Singapore

- Sahiroto private art collection

 

and so on..

 

• Appears on TV:

- Tokyo metropolitan television, Nippon television, Saitama television, KTV and so on

 

• Publications:

-  "Gallery" (Japanese art magazine) many times from 2003

-  "Window of Arts" (Japanese art magazine) 3 times from 2003

- "Asahi newspaper" (Japanese newspaper) Corner of culture column

-  "Yomiuri newspaper" (Japanese newspaper) Corner of culture column

 

• Exhibtions:

Art Yī is the exclusive gallery of Noriko Kurafuji in Europe.

 

2023: Affordable Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium

2022: "Sakura • Nagare" exhibition,  Art Yī Gallery, Brussels, Belgium

2022: London Art Fair, London, England

2022: Affordable Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium

2021: "Art Exhibition for the Hommage of René Julien", Ramatuelle, France

2021: Art Up Lille, Lille, France

2021: "Blooming", group exhibition, Art Yī Gallery, Brussels, Belgium

2018: "Spring Obesession", solo exhibition, Kyoto, Japan

2016: Contemporary Art Festival Nebula,

          Saitama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan

          The Uiwang International Placard Art, Baekun Lake Plaza, Korea

          Basel Art Fair "SCOPE", SOPE Pavilion, Basel, Switzerland

          Affordable Art Fair Battersea  Akart, London, England

2015: New York "SCOPE", SOPE Pavilion, New York, U.S.A.

2014: Miami Art Fair "SCOPE", SOPE Pavilion, Miami, U.S.A.

          "Perspective", group exhibition, G-77Gallery, Kyoto, Japan

2013: "Let It Flow", solo exhibition, Sixty One Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherland

           Le Salon Comparaisons Groupe Japon Grand Parais, Paris, France

           Summer Pause Exhibition, Galerie Karin Sutter, Basel, Switzerland

2012: "Noriko KURAFUJI", solo exhibition, Ginza Inoue Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

          "Nagare", solo exhibition, Galerie Karin Sutter, Basel, Switzerland

          Yosu Expo International Exposition, Yeosu Culture &Arts Hall, Yeosu, Korea

          "Modern Art Association Exhibition ('94-'12)"

          Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo Japan

          "Contemporary Arts of Korea and JapanSeoul Korea, Tokyo, Japan

          "Blue Blue", group exhibition, Gallery Shiramizu Bijyutsu, Ginza, Japan

          Adachi Art Exhibition Adachi-ku exhibitionTHEATRE 1010 Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

          Exhibitions by regional artistsCultural Center of Tama region, Tokyo, Japan

2011: Exposition entre le Japon et la Coree, Galerie SATELLITE, Paris, France

2010: The contemporary art Tashkent exhibition

          Art Gallery of Uzbekistan Museum Tashkent/Tashkent, UZBEKISTAN

          Contemporary Art Festival Nebula ('05-'10)

          Saitama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan

          New Modern Art FestivalSeongnam Arts Center, Seongnam, Korea

          Hands across the Pacific('07-'10)Gimcheon-si Art & Cultural Center, Korea /

          Chiliwack Museum / Canada etc,.,· 

          Ushiku BiennaleUshiku Cultural Center, Ibaragi, Japan

          Art WaveExhibitionFukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan

2009: "Grance", solo exhibition, gallery art point, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan

          "Frieze of Spring", Gallery Regalo / Ogikubo,Tokyo, Japan

          Noriko KURAFUJI Solo Exhibition, Gallery IZUMInoSATO, Japan

2008: The 26thUeno Royal Museum grand prix exhibition, Candidate prize

          The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, Japan 

          Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Fukuoka Japan

          Orient exhibitionASEAN Center, Embassy of Lao Democratic Republic, Japan

          Introduction to a Collector 'Japanese OUGI'O Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

          Karuizawa French revolution's day exhibition, gallery Izuminosato of the art,

          Karuizawa Nagano, Japan

          Art Shower in YokohamaYokohama Civic Art Gallery, Yokohama, Japan

2007: Mt.Fuji Exhibition, Armenia National Museum, Erivan, Republic of Armenia

         Japanese Art in Canada & KoreaGimcheon-si Art & Cultural Center, Korea

         Chiliwack Museum, Canada

         The 21th Tama excellent work art exhibitionOume municipal institution Museum, 

         Tokyo, Japan

         The 25th Ueno Royal Museum grand prix exhibition -Candidate prize-,

         The Ueno Royal Museum,Tokyo, Japan, 

         Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Fukuoka, Japan

         The sixth modern art exhibitionWakimizu Gallery etc,.,Shiga, Japan

2006: Exhibition in st.PetersburgG-77, st.Petersburg, Russia

2005: Noriko KURAFUJI, Solo Exhibition, gallery art point, Tokyo, Japan

          Noriko KURAFUJI, Solo Exhibition, KwanHoon Gallery, Seoul Korea

2004: Global Art 2004, N.Y.World Trade, Art Gallery, New York, U.S.A.

2003: ACT ExhibitionTenshin Memorial Museum, Ibarak

2001: Noriko KURAFUJI, Solo Exhibition, O Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

          Noriko KURAFUJI, Solo Exhibition, Caribi Short Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1999: Noriko KURAFUJI, Solo Exhibition, Inoue Gallery, Tokyo, Japan  

1996: Selected Completion WorksArai Gallery, Shizuoka, Japan 

1995: Noriko KURAFUJI, Solo Exhibition, Inoue Gallery, Tokyo, Japan    

          "Root of Form", Saitama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan 

 

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