Kana Akamatsu's 'Soft Landscape' Opens at Moment Contemporary Art Center in Nara

At Moment Contemporary Art Center in Nara, Japan, a solo exhibition by Kana Akamatsu titled 'Soft Landscape' runs from April 25 to July 5, 2026. The gallery, directed by Sae Shimai-Cardonnel, focuses on integrating art into daily life and fostering shared memory. Akamatsu, born in Nara in 1990, studied oil painting at Kyoto University of Art and Design (BA 2013, MA 2015). Her paintings abstract opposing elements like life and death, nature and artifice, often starting from collages. She also works as an art teacher and previously in her family's farm, which she left last year. The exhibition has two phases: from April 25 to May 27, Akamatsu will be in residence, working in the open studio and inviting public participation. From May 30, new works created during the residency will be displayed. In January 2026, she presented a show at the Nara Prefecture Historical and Artistic Culture Complex themed around 'self', 'life', and 'growth'. The vernissage featured traditional Nara sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves.