Onishi Gallery is proud to present Nagai Megumi in night goblins, a solo exhibition. Japanese-born Nagai Megumi maps the connection between primitive dream worlds and waking life in her art. Inspired by Japanese fables and Edo period artists, Nagai Megumi’s exquisite renderings of inner fantasies reveal a passionate and humorous soul, and a gentle person of enormous strength.
Nagai Megumi works in oil paint on multiple types of wood, following a tradition in Eastern art from before the Heian period in Japan (c. 794‑1185). Drawing from Western artistic techniques, she creates a fantastical universe underscored by clean lines and a meticulous sense of realism.
Her process also reveals a deep respect for her materials. “Wood contains spirit; it is alive, an element,” she says, and she strives for harmony between material, color, texture, and her artistic desires. She often blends humor into her work, whether mapping potent dreams or evoking primal elements such as water and fire through her vibrant, detailed characters.
Elizabeth Sackler, President of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, says: “Her artistic process is reminiscent of the great surrealists: ‘Sometimes an unexpected interaction occurs, and a surprising relationship develops between the wood and me. So until I complete a work, I do not know what will result.’ What does result, again and again, are artworks of unusual beauty and power, humorous and true.”
Nagai Megumi was born in Japan. She received her BA in Fine Arts from Tokyo University Art School. Her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions in New York and Tokyo. Her work has also been selected for inclusion in art competitions in Tokyo. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
