Megumi Nagai Night Trees

Structural Color Gallery proudly announces Night Trees, a solo exhibition by newly rediscovered Japanese-born artist Megumi Nagai from February 8 to June 7, 2024, coinciding with Asia Week 2024. Night Trees showcases Nagai’s latest series of fourteen paintings and two sculptures. To complement the artworks of Megumi Nagai, Structural Color Gallery's exhibition space in Brooklyn has been transformed into a nocturnal forest, creating a captivating atmosphere. The use of live trees adds a sense of authenticity and connection to the environment, allowing visitors to feel as though they are truly immersed in a forest.

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A respite from busy city life, this exhibition presents a startling opportunity to pause and engage, as the viewer enters the silence of the forest. Amidst the stillness and tranquility, a deeper sense of contemplation and connection emerges as the night trees hold fantasies, nightmares, and haunting beauties within their branches.

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Megumi Nagai, born in Shimonoseki, Japan in 1951, earned her degree from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music before relocating to the United States in the early 1980s. Over the years, she has showcased her art in various galleries and exhibitions such as Onishi Gallery, Caelum Gallery, and Carol Shen Gallery. Currently residing and creating in New York City, her artwork is also part of the permanent collection at the Brooklyn Museum.

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Nagai’s concept revolves around crafting a collage that brings together elements of surprise. Drawing inspiration from her dreams and innermost fantasies, as well as from Japanese folklore and Edo- period artists, Nagai blends reflection with the eerie beauty of nature to transport viewers to uncharted territories. In her own words, “I want to create places where you and I have never been before - spaces where once you enter, you are lost in darkness. And in the darkness, you play, you feel a sense of fun and joy, forgetting you ever want to leave.”

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Using oil, gold, and silver on wood, Nagai allows the natural grains and textures of the medium to guide her artistic process. The intricate details and layers of paint create a sense of depth and movement, drawing viewers in and encouraging them to step into the mind and perspective of the artist.

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For all press inquiries, contact Jelena Petrovic: jelena@structuralcolorgallery.com