biscuit gallery (Shinjuku) is pleased to present “undercurrent,” a solo exhibition by contemporary artist Ai Natori.
This exhibition will run from Saturday, January 10th to Sunday, January 25th, 2026.
An opening party will be held on the first day, Saturday, January 10th, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, in which the artist will also be present.
This will be Ai Natori’s second solo exhibition at biscuit gallery, since her exhibit at biscuit gallery Karuizawa. In addition to the paintings she has been working on up until now, this exhibition will also feature her first ceramic sculptures. Ai Natori is an artist with promising future prospects. She will be participating in a group exhibition in Belgium in December 2025 and a solo exhibition in France in 2026.
The word “undercurrent” carries two overlapping meanings:
the quiet flow that moves beneath the surface,
and the invisible emotions, thoughts, faint echoes, and subtle signs that reside deep within the heart.These inner movements—sometimes restrained, sometimes gently trembling—have always drawn me in.
Since beginning the “Blueness” series, a more subdued development of my earlier “Blue” works, I have encountered many people through my paintings, and new connections have formed.
Those exchanges have expanded the very force that sustains my creative practice.
What once began as semi-imaginary figures modeled after my younger sister has gradually transformed.
The faces I paint today continue to shift into more complex presences—reflecting the hearts of those who view my work as well as my own inner landscape.
It still feels like a small miracle that the tremor and fleeting strength embedded in the blue of my paintings reach people across different regions through social media, and that these feelings are sincerely received.
Those blue emotions eventually rose within me as the image of a traveler drifting through the silence of night, searching for a distant light in the darkness.
This vision led to a new body of work, Night and wonderer.
With each piece, I found myself moving closer and deeper into my own undercurrents—into moments that quietly transformed both the work and myself.
For this exhibition, “undercurrent,” I hope the thoughts I place into the color blue, and the feelings of those who encounter my paintings and sculptures, may flow toward one another like currents moving beneath the surface.
Through these works,
may the quiet stream that lies deep within your heart gently touch the undercurrents within mine.
I hope this space allows such subtle exchanges to unfold.
Ai Natori
Gallery Statement
Although Natori is popular among international audiences, it is intriguing how many fans are unaware that the blue saturating her works originates from her given name, Ai (藍), meaning indigo. In Japan, indigo is also known as “Japan Blue,” and has long been regarded as a color symbolizing the country’s distinct culture and aesthetic sensibility. Even without knowing its origins, viewers likely sense something inherently Japanese through Natori’s works.
Just as Tomio Miki remained obsessively devoted to the motif of the ear, and Yayoi Kusama to dots, Natori is is fascinated by and continues to paint indigo. This single-minded commitment reflects the very essence of her artistic practice.
Natori describes blue (indigo) as “the color of life and death.” The blue of the sea, where life begins, and the blue of the sky, into which life ascends. The fleeting expressions of the girls she depicts, and the latent sense of danger that lies beneath, seem to reside in that very flickering boundary created by blue. Blue is often treated in art as a color that symbolizes the accumulation of time and memory, and from this perspective, Natori’s choice to depict her figures in blue can be seen as almost inevitable.
In this exhibition, as a new endeavor, she presents ceramic works. Indigo is resistant to both high temperatures and fading, and its color is unlikely to deteriorate even within the flames of a kiln. For this reason, it has long been regarded as a color symbolizing “immutability” and “permanence.” It is also noteworthy that indigo has been widely used in Arita ware (Arita porcelain) from Saga, Natori’s hometown. By extending her expression beyond painting into the medium of ceramics, Natori enriches the symbolic resonance of indigo, showcasing greater conviction to her artistic practice.
Finally, it is worth noting Natori’s motif of “shoujo” (young girls), which has surprisingly seldom been discussed.
Natori first encountered art at the age of ten, when she began learning to paint under Isao Noda, who held art classes in her hometown. She was deeply moved when she happened to see Kuroda Seiki’s Nobe at the former Ishibashi Museum of Art (Kurume), and the presence of the girl depicted in that work had a significant impact on her practice. Moreover, Natori, who was physically weak as a child, had exceptionally close ties to her family. Her younger sister, with whom she was especially close, was a uniquely important presence in her life, and also the first person she consciously chose to depict as a subject in her work. The emotions and influences she carried in her childhood still resonate with her today. Through the act of painting, they continue to be sublimated thus becoming bright wishes and gratitude directed toward the figure of the young girl, taking form within her works.
Following her 2024 solo exhibition at biscuit gallery Karuizawa, Natori further explores her artistic practice in this show. We invite you to witness how new narratives unfold through the indigo that guides her practice.
From an Artism interview (IG @artism.___)
biscuit gallery
Ai Natori
Born in Saga Prefecture
Degree in Imaging Arts and Sciences, Musashino Art University
From an early age, she studied painting under Isao Noda of the Action Art Association. Seeking a more abstract mode of expression, she went on to study in the Department of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Musashino Art University, expanding her practice into VJ performance, installation, and performance art. Her installation work was also exhibited at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum in the exhibition The Imagination of Information Art.
In the spring of 2011, she returned to her roots and resumed creating through drawing. She subsequently received the KATHARINE HAMNETT LAB DESIGN AWARD and the New Artist Award at YOUNG ART TAIPEI. She is currently active mainly overseas, including exhibitions at the Carrousel du Louvre.
【Information】
Ai Natori Solo Exhibition
「undercurrent」
Venue：biscuit gallery
Dates：2026/1/10(Sat)〜1/25(Sun)
Opening Party：1/10 (Sat) 16:00-19:00
Time：13：00〜19：00 ※Mon〜Wed closed
Admission：free
Organizer：biscuit gallery
