I was held captive to Naoko Nojima's vivid colors and inexplicable image when I saw her solo exhibition few years ago. I induced her to hold the solo exhibition at DOKA Contemporary Arts to solve the sorcery of her image. Although Nojima's work looks gaudy because red or pink were used, it was filled with dignified colors and obscure shape seems to resist a decipherment.

Nojima wrote "My work is like my own mental image as personal picture, not personal novel. Gathering the unconsciousness and realizing into obscure shape." "In my self, there is certainly something which cannot assimilate if I did not make into work." on her blog.

The title of her works is like a poem with smart and refined mystery as well. It is asking "Can you understand my feeling?", but at same time it looks like saying despairingly "You never understand my feeling." Even as the personal novel, Nojima's work is the spokesperson of atmosphere and nothingness of present day which can sympathize with contemporary people.

After 3.11, the influence appeared to her work either. By the shape and number, some one may interpret something from 4-set work "Outside of Outside of the Box is Inside" For Nojima, a building or a plant is just a thing which lay on her mind at that time. Your soul must be shaken by a natural hymn when you see her work as the testimony of her pure everyday life.

Suguru Igarashi / Curator of Sompo Japan Museum of Art