410 Award Exhibition
#06
Kiri - shi Nagaya Akira
Paper Cutting World Exhibition
January 8th (Thu) - January 11th (Sun) 2026
This paper cutting piece has a striking presence thanks to its delicate 0.2mm lines.
By displaying the work as if it were floating gently within the frame, the lines are detached from the paper and sway lightly, as if enveloped in the air itself.
Its delicacy evokes the beauty hidden in nature.
This is a work in which air and light co-exist.
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Born in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture in 1967
In 1988, he was captivated by the beauty of the sushi chef's bamboo sashimi craftsmanship and began self-studying paper cutting.
2008 First solo exhibition "Akira Nagaya: The World of Paper Cutting" Suginamiki Gallery/Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture
2012 Solo exhibition "NY Paper Cutting Exhibition" SOMETHIN'Jazz gallery/NY・USA
2015 Solo Exhibition "Miracle Paper Cutting Exhibition" Tokyo International Forum/Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Invitation to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" release commemorative artist project in Roppongi, Tokyo
2016 Invited to "Sharaku Inspired Exhibition" Shinjuku Gaien, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Kiri-shi by Akira Nagaya - A superb technique that no one would believe is "paper cutting" - a "divine feat"
The masterpiece "Sharaku" and Nagaya Akira
■ The moment I heard the word "paper cutting," I shuddered
Even when I'm told it's paper cutting, it's hard to believe.
This masterpiece by Sharaku depicts the hairline and wrinkles in the kimono in minute detail. Looking at the next piece, each strand of the long hair of a Kabuki actor, flapping about while showing off on stage, moves like a living thing. The calligraphy that reads "Ocean" has the exquisite faded ink and the feel of a master.
If nothing is explained, these are extremely fine pen drawings and calligraphy with excellent design. That's all you can see. Anyone who sees them will say, "What wonderful works!" However, the moment you hear that all of these are "paper cutting," you'll shudder.
"Huh? That can't be... How on earth did that happen?"
The open sea
"The Fourth Generation Kabuki"
■ Fascinated by the skills of sushi chefs
When he was 20 years old, he was working part-time at a local sushi restaurant and was fascinated by the craftsman's "sasakiri" technique. He cuts bamboo leaves with a knife and shapes them into auspicious shapes such as cranes and turtles to decorate sushi. This is a traditional technique called "keshogiri."
Thinking that maybe I could do it too, I tried it with a utility knife and paper, and somehow it worked. Without even realizing that it was "paper cutting," I continued playing with it and got better.
After graduating from technical high school, he got a job at Nikon, a major optical equipment manufacturer. He worked on making parts for specialized products supplied to NASA and other organizations in the United States. "I was good at detailed work, and I think I had a good instinct for it," he recalls. After working there for three years, he started helping out at the souvenir shop his father ran in Kinugawa Onsen (Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture). He later expanded the business to include shooting ranges, ski rentals, and insurance agencies.
During that time, for about 20 years, paper cutting was purely a hobby. "I was embarrassed to talk about art, and thought it was ridiculous." He didn't know there was a mat to put under a cutter, so he worked using newspapers and magazines as a base. He didn't know about spray glue, so he stuck his works together with regular glue, which often ended up making them sloppy.
There are also works cut out of iron with a laser.
"Dragon"
Commentary on "Dragon"
■Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic...
Through trial and error and self-study, he gradually established his own style. In 2008, he held his first solo exhibition in his hometown and began working as a paper cutting artist. However, in 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake caused a decline in customers at his shop, and he was forced to close the business.
Just as she was thinking about what she had to do, an acquaintance invited her to move to Tokyo and try her hand at being a writer. In 2013, her work was featured in the photo spread pages of Weekly Asahi, and she began to receive requests to appear on television programs, and her popularity skyrocketed.
Now, it's time to get started. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began at the end of 2019, all solo exhibitions and events were canceled. However, he did not give up, and created and exhibited his work while working at the "Tokyo World Exhibition Rambouillet 2022" and the "Japan-France Contemporary Art Exhibition" (2023), where he won Excellence Awards. This was followed by this award.
"Wild"
"Twilight"
"Alto Saxophone"
"Bear"
There are several bear patterns hidden.
■ Using copy paper and an inexpensive cutter knife
The works are very diverse. This year's winning piece, "KAEDE," is based on the motif of a dead maple leaf, with gold leaf stuck to the back. This reflects off the white background, casting a faint color in the shadows. A small bird is hidden within the veins of the leaf, making it a fun piece to work with, like a trick art.
Other exhibits include large motorbikes, cats, teddy bears, trumpets, and saxophones, and the artist says he has around 200 pieces on hand. Each piece is mounted on an acrylic plate in a glass case, making it appear as if it is floating in the air, and the shadows cast on it are also effective.
If the work is simply pasted onto a mount, it will look like a pen drawing or calligraphy. Ironically, this technique was devised because the artist was often told that his work "doesn't look like paper cutting" because it was too perfect.
The paper used is basically copy paper. If it is too thick it will not cut well, so after trying various types, he settled on copy paper that is 0.1 mm thick. The tool he uses is a commonly used, inexpensive cutter knife. With this in hand, he cuts the paper into extremely thin strips, 0.2 mm wide at its thinnest.
It takes anywhere from three months to a year to create one piece. I've failed countless times, but I've learned that failure gives me the confidence to do better next time.
2026 is a crucial year. Having overcome two major difficulties, he will once again take on the world using the techniques he has pioneered. He is enthusiastic about "awakening paper cutting."
(Writer: Todo Ramon)
410 Gallery Award Winner "KAEDE"
#06
KotoriNoko
Shioya
2025.3.20(Thu)-3.23(Sun)
Salt has been a part of our daily lives since ancient times, but depending on the amount used, it can be just right or too much.
This time, we will be exhibiting some fun people and products related to salt.
I hope you can find the right balance.
Kotorinoko
Kotorinoko/Artist
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He lives in Fukuoka. He majored in graphic design at university and is studying comprehensive design related to society at graduate school. Since childhood, he has been attracted to the ambiguity, mystery, and nostalgia of picture books, and his creative activities are centered on pictures and stories.
Born in 1998 in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
2021 Graduated from Kyushu University, School of Design, Department of Image Design
2022 Study Abroad at University of Aar, Finland (1 year)
2024 Kyushu University Graduate School of Design, Design Strategy Program Completed
Right or wrong? The "saltiness" of Kotori Noriko stirs the heart
Noriko Kotori held a solo exhibition titled "Shioya."
This display was also designed by me.
Once you see it, it's sure to haunt your dreams.
A young man is rubbing salt into the red abrasion on the knee of a large man. The title of the work is "Man rubbing salt into wounds." Holding a jar of salt, he concentrates on his fingertips with a blank look in his eyes.
The title of the work displayed next to it was "The Man Who Sprinkles Salt on Children." This time, a large figure is sprinkling salt on a boy, and the salt piles up like a mountain on his head. In neither painting is the face of the large figure depicted. The viewer's gaze is drawn to the boy's expressionless eyes.
The title of the exhibition is "Shioya" (Salt House). It may seem strange, but Noriko Kotori's extraordinary imagination can be seen in her focus on salt, a compound that is essential to humans.
The phrase "rubbing salt into the wound" was inspired by a casual conversation with my family. When I looked into it, I found that there were more variations in expressions using salt than I had expected. "Shy," "sending salt to the enemy," "a person who has lost his saltiness," "a salty response," and "anbai" (the right balance).
"Someone who takes good care of you"
"Someone who rubs salt into the wound"
"Salty Face Water" triptych
Shiogaosui product packaging
Shiogaosui product advertisement
■ "I like words that are neither good nor evil"
Originally, she "liked words that were neither good nor evil." She attended Christian schools for middle and high school, and although she is not a believer, she probably naturally developed a religious sensibility. She was also interested in the archaic smile of Buddhist statues originating from ancient Greece. While the facial expression is kept to a minimum, only the mouth appears to be smiling. This may be where the origins of the writer Noriko Kotori's unobtrusive expression lie.
The most notable of these is a series of three works titled "Salty Face." Beneath the works is an advertisement for a fictional product called "Salty Face Water." It depicts a person with a blank, smooth face, with the taglines "A new era in pursuit of a light look," "For the face," and "Effective results."
Kotori Noko standing at the exhibition venue
"Salty face one month later"
"Salty face 2 months later"
"Salty face 3 months later"
■This is almost a horror movie.
The expression of the Shio-kao character changes one month, two months, and three months after using the salt face water. After three months, the eyes, nose, and mouth become smaller and thinner... This is almost horror. It's no wonder that he is a fan of horror manga artists Junji Ito (famous works "Tomie" and "Uzumaki") and Kazuo Umezu (famous works "Drifting Classroom" and "Makoto-chan").
There is one more trick to this Shio-ga-sui. He even designed the packaging for the product and made a sticker for it. As someone who studied animation, video, CG and projection mapping at the Kyushu University Graduate School of Design, it is surprising that he was able to create such an appealing product, even if it is fictional.
Another interesting piece is "Toys for Making Shells," which was drawn from his experience of collecting insect shells as a child. It depicts a boy looking a little happy, holding the shell of a newt-like creature, and the caption reads, "Using this shell liquid, you can make shells of any shape you like."
"Toys that make empty shells"
"Speaking spray bottle"
"Child being bitten by mosquitoes"
■I always said I wanted to be a picture book author
These original works, which no one would ever think of, such as the "Speaking Spray Bottle" which depicts "Mama Spray" that makes the sound "ma" when sprayed, and "Child Bitten by Mosquito," which depicts the cruelty of killing a mosquito that has bitten your face, make you want to look at every detail over and over again.
Ever since kindergarten, she has said she wanted to be a picture book author. She will graduate from graduate school in March 2024 and work part-time while continuing to create her books. I look forward to the release of her new book that will stir people's hearts. (Writer, Todo Ramon)
410Gallery YouTube channel "RIS410" #02 Interview with Noriko Kotori → Click here
#05
Extreme "Art" Exhibition by Naughty Middle-Aged Man and Maru
architecture 2.0
2024.10/3(thu)-10/6(sun)
An art activist who calls himself a global "artist."
Using the art and craft he experienced as a child as a means of expression, he is engaged in extreme craft activities day and night, cunningly examining the intersection of craft and art. He creates installations using everyday objects, snaps of the city, and works with a sense of comedy that is not limited to techniques or technology.
[Activity history] Solo exhibitions and group exhibitions 2023 FLOW (igu_m_art) PHASE (gallery yongou) 2024 architecture (gallery yongou) un do plus (sweets gallery ℃ sesshi) architecture 2.0 (410Gallery) Art events and special exhibitions 2023 Independent Tokyo 2023 (Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center) 2024 1st Matsumoto International Art Exhibition un do Exhibition *Grand Prize winner (Matsumoto City Museum) BILLIKEN CREATORS OSAKA 4 (Tamurakoma Co., Ltd. Osaka Head Office) Dynamic Contemporary Artists Exhibition *410Gallery Award winner (Fukuoka Asian Art Museum) 4 ROOMS ART (Seaside Studio CASO) Ikebukuro Wandering Art Exhibition 2024 (Jiyugakuen Myonichikan) Chignitters ART CAMP (Chignitter) Independent Tokyo 2024 *Tugboat Special Award Winner (Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center) As of 2024
Appealing to the playfulness of adults
An original masterpiece
Naughty middle-aged man and Maru
Tonomaru, a mischievous middle-aged man whose trademark is wearing a mask
self-proclaimed
"The World's Craftsmen"
These original works stimulate the playful side of adults and will burn into your mind once you see them.
For example, there is a three-dimensional work called "DOGLE SUIT." I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels a mysterious presence and latent energy from it. When I heard that it was a combination of the Jomon period "Shakoki Dogu" and the mobile suit from the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam," I was surprised by the idea, although it made sense.
The clay figurine, a product of a peaceful civilization that lasted nearly 15,000 years, is combined with a mobile suit designed to be worn by humans living in space. I don't know what the significance of this is. However, I can sense a mysterious power, a kind of aura.
This inspiration and playfulness is also reflected in the artist name. "Tonomaru" comes from Kazuto Tonoma, a character in the baseball manga "Dokaben" by Shinji Mizushima. Although small in stature for a baseball player, Tonoma has a unique batting style that allows him to hit "secret hits" and is a top-notch pianist. This admiration for Tonoma leads to his originality.
The DOGULE SUIT exudes a presence that combines the past and the future
Hana Samurai and his friends: The Greatest Super
Born and raised in Osaka City. It's probably common in Osaka, the city of comedy, but I've loved comedy since I was a child and even aspired to be a comedian. However, I couldn't keep up with the "athletic vibe" of groups. So I thought, "If it's artistic expression, there seems to be less of a problem," and started making works on my own. It seems that the origin of my playfulness lies there.
However, that is not enough to make a living. He has lived his life changing jobs several times, including photo developing, working at an eyeglass store, and in medical equipment rental sales. The turning point came in 2018, when his parents, who he lived with, became weaker and he needed to care for them. So he quit his job and devoted himself to caring for them, and at the same time, he also began to get serious about his creative work.
Then, the illustration won a prize at the Kansai public exhibition "Art Stream 2018". The title is "Hana Samurai and his fun friends: The Greatest Supper". It is a group of parody works that started from "the silly idea that it would be funny if a samurai's topknot was a flower", but the expressive characters such as animals, gals, wrestlers, and kabuki actors never get boring.
I was hoping to gain momentum from this, but in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I lost the opportunity to present my work. On April 8, the day after a state of emergency was declared in seven prefectures, including Osaka, I was shocked to find myself walking through the deserted streets.
"PRESENCE" is a photo book capturing scenes from the city during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I had no idea the architecture was so beautiful."
From then on, he continued to take photos in the empty city every day. He published the photo book "PRESENCE" in April 2023, which was a collection of photos he had taken with his smartphone over the course of about two years. It is a work of art that captures the pure beauty of buildings in a human city without humans, and is also a valuable book as a record of the pandemic.
This activity, which he says "changed something inside of me," must have had an impact on his creative work.
"architecture"
He began to focus on creating a series of works that he named ".
"DOGLE SUIT" is one of them. In 2012, he won the top prize at the "1st Matsumoto International Art Exhibition un do" (Matsumoto City Museum of Art) in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture. The "architecture" series also won the 410 Gallery Award at the "Dynamic Contemporary Artists Exhibition" (Fukuoka Asian Art Museum) in Fukuoka.
Business cards are also unique works of art
A strange architecture made of stacked dice
His solo exhibition at the 410 Gallery featured a lineup of masterpieces designed to heighten the viewer's inspiration, including works with game character motifs, colorful works with overlapping acrylic panels that scatter light, and strange structures made of stacked dice. Born in 1975, he is 49 years old. His late-blooming talent continues to evolve. (Writer Todo Ramon)
#04
Takashi Ito solo exhibition
"Tower of B and Inspirational Creatures"
2024.9/13(Fri)-9/16(Mon)
Ever since I was a child, I've had trouble expressing my feelings through words. I feel like other people just assume that I'm "someone who doesn't think about anything" unless I express them in words. Still, I feel like I've been able to connect with others and society by creating things.
I create with the idea in mind that we all have words in our hearts, even if we don't put them into words.
Awards: Selected for the Japan Craft Exhibition, Japan Craft Exhibition, Asahi Contemporary Craft Exhibition, ART DECORATION 2023 410 Gallery Award, Brain Brunn Art Award 2023 Grand Prize, 11th Dynamic Contemporary Artists Exhibition Grand Prize, Kankaku Exhibition #1 Kankaku Award, Independent Tokyo 2023 Kamiya Takahisa Award, 12th Dynamic Contemporary Artists Exhibition Special Award, 100 People 10 Selection
#03
Kenji Moroi Solo Exhibition
My prayers
2024.2/22(thu)-2/27(tue)
Moroi Kenji creates plastic sculptures of people dressed in unique shapes and costumes, exuding a somewhat sacred air. Looking back on his 10th year as an artist, he will be exhibiting works that express in various forms the "prayers" and "wishes" that arise between his daily life and his work.
Kenji Moroi
Born in Saga on March 29, 1988
[Major awards received]
Selected for the 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th Nitten Exhibitions, Selected as a Special Selection in the 10th Nitten Exhibition and Nitten Exhibition Associate Exhibition
#02
Nana Solo Exhibition
Kokoro-ne ~Shape, Color, Song~
2023.12/23(Sat)-12/26(Tue)
#01
