Wonder Colors Art Project in Mexico
Pursiut of colorfulness and culture | Berlin based Japanese Artist Yoh Nagao
February - April 2016Concept
Idea of art project "Wonder Colors(temporary name)" in Mexico is originally from myexperience in Mexico.
I have been feeling strong sympathy with sense of color from the people in there, especiallyusing many of colors for mural and installation work at two times of art projects in Mexico,
SEAWALLS 2014(NGO:PangeaSeed) and FIAP 2015 (NGO:World Art Destinations).
There was many of voices to my works and myself. Even I got lots of energy and pleasurefrom their respectfulness and appreciation about color. I have been wondering why they react
on the color so particularly, any tradition, custom or taught?
And also I was very impressed by their personality which is open and friendly to the others,
and very helpful to each other.
I'm assuming that it has specific connection of their mind and personality structure with theirsense of color and tradition. Therefore I decided to operate this art project [Color Dialogue inMexico] in Mexico.
There is many of communication with more humanity and heart I have confronted in Mexico
that many of us are missing nowadays, especially in this modern society in developing country
where everything goes so fast.
I want to make special art pieces by the research and finding the source of inspiration from
Mexico in the term of staying.

Mission
There is big concern I’m taking if we are really making success to perceive happiness,pleasure and harmony at development of human such as accelerate of information,
improvement of technology and economy supremacy on this planet.
I'm pursuing the expression of color to tell the message of happiness and pressure which isabvousley getting faded in modern period. And also asking a question by using human figure
as main motives and nature and animal to consider how are we supposed to be.
I'm paying attention to those sensitivity which is fading away from us is still reminded in thecolor tradition and Mexican culture.
There are so many issues we are taking, natural disaster, war, energy, medical, food and etc. I’m
feeling fear that human will be failed unless we don’t act anything immediately.
In such desperate circumstance, I’m challenging to keep on asking a question of the issues
through his art as essential urgent mission of mankind to save this world in our generation.
Pursuing this mankind hope is regardlessly important action for us.
I definite the art is the tool to ask a question, reflect message and philosophy, also the art
should be borderless and universal to touch many people as possible on this planet.

TermApproximately 2 months from February to March 2016 / 1-2weeks of research 4-5weeks of production

Research and record
Taking photo of place, nature, traditional goods, costume, food, animal, plantation, creature, human portrait
and anything related Mexico and its color traditioncollect goods as sample and reference
Research quote & mythology, Joining traditional festival, ritual, ceremony

Research-travel
Guadalajara - Tequila, Mariachi, Folk handicraft
ChiapasSan Cristobal - Barragan Architecture
Oaxaca - Alebrije Rufino, Tamayo Museo de Arte Prehispanico
Guanajuato - TownscapeCancun - Museo Maya de Cancún, Mayam Community
Merida - Museo Regional de Antropologia e Historia de Merida Gran Museo del Mundo Maya
Mexico city - Barragan Architecture, Casa Giraldi, satelite tower, Capilla de las Capuchinas,
Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Museo Casa Diego Rivera,
PALACIO DE LAS BELLAS ARTES,
Museo del Templo Mayor, Museo Anahuacalli
Xochimilco - Museo Dolores Olmedo Patino,
Teotihuacan

Other Research
Diego Rivera - Muralism
Customs
Religion
Endemic Spieces
FoodProduction
Art piece is going to be based on the research as material and inspiration element
Collage work made with photographs taken by artist
Painting made with traditional colors refered from research

Place to work
Sergio Romero workshop in Cancun
Director of Instituto Superior de Estudios Creativoswebsite: www.estudiocreativocancun.com

Promotion
Publishing to the world through SNS(Instagram, Facebook) everyday.
Planning exhibition and releasing art book of the art pieces and the record of research in Mexico.

Exhibition
Art&Culture Center in Cancun
Planning to have traveling exhibition through Mexico, Germany and Japan.

Exhibition idea

Exbiting idea: AArt work made with collage and painting
Photography material will be taken in mexico
Painting color is referenced traditional color

Exbiting idea: BShow case of research and story in Mexico with photos and panels
making color chart, story board based on actual research

Support Yoh Nagao
This project needs your support to accomplish the mission
Please feel free to contact Yoh Nagao if you are interested in being a supporter
Your support will be definitely reinforcement of Nagao's independent art activity
Through Internet, social network and print, your name will be written as supporterof the project during the term
I'm planning to have traveling exhibition in Mexico, Germany and Japan.

Contact to Yoh Nagao
www.yohnagao.com
contact@yohnagao.com

SNS: Instagram Facebook Twitter Tumblr@yohnagao

FIAP by World Art Destinations , Cancun Mexico, 2015C o l l a g e w o r ks h o p a t Fe s t i va l M o m e nt s , M á l a g a S p a i n 2 015
Escuela de Arte San Telmo

Exhibition

SEA WALLS by PangeaSeed, Isla Mujeres Meixco, 2014

SEA WALLS by PangeaSeed, Isla Mujeres Meixco, 2014
on New York Times NOVEMBER 11, 2014
http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/on-a-mexican-island-murals-with-a-conservation-message/%3F_r%3D1

Yoh Nagao
Yoh Nagao is a berlin based pop collage artist
from Japan. After graduating from Nagoya Zokei
University, he began working as a graphic designer
and illustrator, while freely expressing his uniquestyle as an artist.
He gained prominence in Japan after receiving
the Uniqlo Creative Award in 2005 (now UTGP),exhibiting at the International Poster Triennial in
Toyama, and being selected for the SHIFT calendar
design contest. These successes at international
competitions led Yoh to expand his work overseas. After a successful first-ever solo exhibition in Hong
Kong in 2009, he received an honourable mention in the collage category of the international competition
ARTAQ Urban Art Award (France) in 2011. He was invited to participate in the PICK ME UP Contemporary
Graphic Art Fair held in London that same year, becoming a serious contender on the international art
stage. Since then, his pieces were also showcased in numerous art fairs and events in Los Angeles, Miami,New York, Zurich, Berlin, Paris, Angers, London, and Tokyo.
In 2008, his work was displayed in the famous boutique shop Colette in Paris. His work has also been
published in high profile magazines such as Nakedbutsafe (Germany), Lodown (Germany), Dazed andConfused (England), and DPI (Taiwan). In the summer of 2014, in Isla Mujeres (Mexico), he collaborated
with the project SEA WALLS by PangeaSeed (USA), creating an outdoor mural with the artist AaronGlasson (New Zealand) that was showcased in The Huffington Post and The New York Times online.
He was also selected by the organisation World Art Destinations as one of the 30 artists who took partin the Festival International de Arte Público in Cancún, Mexico, where he created an installation of a 100
multicoloured paper planes that captivated the Festival's audience. Back in Japan, his art works wereselected to depict the popular JRA Chukyo Racecourse in Japan for 2015, widely showcased in thesubway network of Nagoya.
Nagao’s pieces, exhibitions and artistic collaborations have steadily gained specialized but also wide
public appreciation, confirming the rising value of his unique style and endless creativity, which is being
recognized all over the world.
[Philosophy]
At our modern society, we are taking so many issues such as war, sickness, natural disaster, resource,environment, food and etc. The situation is getting harder and harder.
The world is totally losing its balance, pursuing just economy and ideology can not manage our modern life
any more in this planet. We even would lose the chance of recover, human will be collapsed if the situation
continues the same way.
However, under this hard situation, Nagao believes that art can change our world better place.
In his art, he uses figures, animals and landscapes to expresses love, happiness, warmness, pleasureand elation such as invisible emotional feeling which is hard to describe in words. These are the senses
which we are absolutely missing in modern society. He thinks these invisibleness contains are getting more
importance for us now a days. They are also the key to live up in our society better.
Nagao’s aim is to tell these thing to the people through his art which is not only his way of connection withthe society, but also his mission as an artist.
[Exhibitions]2015 - Group Exhibition DREAMLANDS, CHG Circa, Los Angeles, USA
2015 - LA ART SHOW, Los Angeles, USA
2014 - SCOPE Miami Beach, Miami, USA
2014 - Birth of Cool group exhibition at The Ballery, Berlin, Germany
2014 - Detour Through Wonderland, first european solo exhibition, Berlin, Germany
2013 - Art Fair ULTRA 006 at Aoyama Spiral, Tokyo, Japan
2012 - ARTAQ URBAN ARTS AWARDS, Angers, Paris, France
2011 - ARTAQ URBAN ARTS AWARDS, Angers, Paris, France
2011 - Mar. Pick Me Up contemporary graphic art fair at Somerset house, London, UK
2010 - Oct. Group exhibition “ism 2010”, tambourin-gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2009 - Dec. Fountain Miam Art fair, Miami Florida, USA2009 - Feb. JOURNEY solo exhibition, Gallery Benten 17, Hong Kong
2008 - Dec. WONDERLAND art for all Group exhibition, Gallery Benten 17, Hong Kong
2007 - Dec. Project "WE-ARE -FAMILIA" at Colette, Paris, France[Book]
NAKEDBUTSAFE Magazine Issue7, 2014, Germany
MITTESCHöNE Magazine July 2012, Germany
Fresh 3: Cutting Edge Illustrations Print, Slanted Germany
dpi Magazine vol.139, TAIWANDAZED AND CONFUSED, KOREA
West East Magazine issue 28 "YOUTH", HONG KONG
Ming Pao daily weekly magazine, HONG KONG
iLLUSTRATiON BOOK PRO 02, JAPANASIAN YOUNG GRAPHIC DESIGNERS, GERMANY
STREET T, SPAIN
Khooligan magazine, RUSSIA[Competitions]Artaq Awards 2011, Collage MENTION, FranceSHIFT 2008 CALENDAR competition selected
8th INTERNATIONAL POSTER TRIENNIAL IN TOYAMA 2006UNIQLO Creative Award 2005 top sellection