The paintings of Shota Nakamura explore the boundaries between dreamscapes and the natural environment. His figures, often shown sleeping, meditating, or resting, inhabit verdant landscapes that shift between domestic interiors and wild gardens. Rendered with layered washes of oil paint, Nakamura’s small-scale, intimate scenes recall the style of European modernists such as Bonnard, Vuillard, Matisse, and Munch. This publication, accompanying Nakamura's solo exhibition Small Works 2022–24 at C L E A R I N G / Los Angeles, documents his recent series, capturing moments that balance interiority and the natural world.
