Kawakaze no Garden presents izanau tatazumu, a joint exhibition by Yuzo Ono and Kayoko Nemoto. Two artists. Two different mediums. One shared sensibility. Through painting and photography, the exhibition encourages visitors to slow down, reflect, and discover unexpected connections.
Rather than presenting works with a single, fixed message, izanau tatazumu encourages viewers to engage with each piece through their own memories and experiences. The exhibition’s title hints at this quiet encounter—standing still while being gently guided somewhere new by the artwork itself.
For curator Koide of Kawakaze no Garden, the exhibition grew naturally from long-standing relationships with both artists. Ono once described his work as “paintings that are not painted.” In his ongoing scape series, he applies mineral pigments to the surface before repeatedly washing them away with water and brushes. Chance, chemistry, and time shape the final image. Rather than depicting a landscape, the remaining marks invite viewers to imagine their own “scape.” Each work becomes a mirror for personal memories and perception.
Photographer Kayoko Nemoto approaches her work from a different perspective but with a similarly contemplative sensibility. Originally from Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture, she began taking photography more seriously after experiencing the Great East Japan Earthquake. Based in the Kanto region, Nemoto now creates personal projects while also working as a portrait and street photographer. Her photographs often find beauty and meaning in everyday moments, quietly reminding us of photography’s enduring power as both memory and record.
Although Ono and Nemoto work in different disciplines, their practices share a common thread. They both create space for viewers to form their own interpretations. Instead of asking us to simply observe an isolated work, izanau tatazumu invites us to connect each piece with our own experiences, allowing new meanings to emerge through those personal associations.
As summer settles over Japan, the exhibition offers an opportunity to pause and experience the quiet dialogue between painting and photography.
Exhibition Information
Exhibition: izanau tatazumu – Joint Exhibition by Yuzo Ono & Kayoko Nemoto
Dates: July 25 – August 11, 2026
Venue: Kawakaze no Garden (Noborito, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan)
Yuzo Ono: https://www.instagram.com/yusanonoo
Kayoko Nemoto: https://www.instagram.com/kayokonemoto