Akiyoshi Nakamura

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Born in Omiya, Saitama, Japan, Akiyoshi Nakamura was raised in a family of traditional artisans specializing in the craft of Hina dolls.

From an early age, he was deeply influenced by Japanese popular culture, including manga, anime, and tokusatsu films.

Later, he became fascinated by the works of Leo Lionni and Eric Carle, whose picture books inspired his interest in collage-based artistic expression.

Since 2008, Nakamura has been creating original paper artworks using paper as his sole medium, without the use of brushes or paint. Combining techniques derived from paper cutting, collage, and torn-paper composition, he developed a unique coloring method utilizing ultra-thin Japanese washi paper known as Tengujo. This technique adapts the “tone scraping” process commonly used in manga and illustration production into a distinctive form of paper-based coloration.

Constructed through multiple layers of paper, his works transcend the boundaries of two-dimensional imagery and possess a sculptural presence that can be described as three-dimensional paper art. To enhance the durability of the medium, each piece undergoes meticulous reinforcement and hardening processes, resulting in highly detailed and structurally robust works.

The stylized characters that inhabit Nakamura’s visual world serve as metaphors for his own internal landscape—embodying memories, emotions, and identities shaped by both traditional craftsmanship and contemporary popular culture.

Blending poetic sensibilities with elements of both pop culture and traditional Japanese aesthetics, Nakamura creates works that explore the relationship between memory, materiality, and imagination.

He currently exhibits and sells his work through galleries and department stores throughout Japan, while also participating in solo and group exhibitions internationally, particularly in Taiwan and China.

His works are held in private collections in Japan and abroad.

Through paper, Nakamura seeks to bridge traditional craftsmanship and contemporary visual culture.

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中村 彰良

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埼玉県大宮市生まれ。伝統工芸師（雛人形職人）の家系に育つ。

幼少期より漫画、アニメ、特撮といった日本の大衆文化に親しみ、その後、絵本や教科書で出会った レオ・レオニ や エリック・カール の作品に影響を受け、コラージュ表現に強い関心を抱く。

2008年より、筆や絵の具を一切用いず、紙のみを素材とした独自の紙彩画制作を開始。切り絵、貼り絵、ちぎり絵を融合した表現を基盤とし、

極薄和紙である典具帖紙を用いて、漫画やイラスト制作における「トーン削り」の技法を応用した独自の彩色技法を考案する。

幾層にも重ねられた紙によって構成される作品は、平面表現の枠を超えた立体的な造形性を備え、3Dペーパーアートとも呼べる独自の表現領域を確立している。また、紙という素材の脆弱性を補うため、細部に至るまで独自の硬質加工を施し、高い耐久性と完成度を実現している。

作品に登場するデフォルメ化されたキャラクターたちは、伝統工芸の環境の中で育ちながら、現代のポップカルチャーに強い影響を受けた作者自身の内面的な人格や記憶を投影したメタファーでもある。

ポップでありながらトラディショナルな精神性を内包した詩情豊かな作品世界を展開し、現在は全国の百貨店・画廊での展示販売を中心に活動。海外では台湾、中国において個展およびグループ展を開催している。