A context of cultural presentation in which the aesthetic and spiritual dimensions of Japanese culture are articulated for outward engagement through international, public, and ceremonial platforms.
Sansui Ink Painting
2011
A work that translates the format of traditional sansui painting into contemporary expression.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Cultural basis: Listed in the Timeline as a work that reinterprets the format of sansui in contemporary expression. It carries the context of presenting sansui culture internationally.
Scroll: Asian Charms
2011
A work presenting Asian symbolic systems in the format of a hanging scroll.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Cultural basis: A work using the hanging scroll format to present Asian symbolic systems. It connects to the international presentation of Japanese and Asian culture.
Asian Saint / Under Water Sansui with Four Gods
2011–2012
A work presenting the Four Gods and sansui within an international exhibition context, connected to EXPO 2012 Korea.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Presentation basis: Connected to the EXPO 2012 Korea Digital Gallery. Cultural basis: Presents the Four Gods and sansui within the context of an international exhibition.
Sanctuary / Silence
2013
A digital photographic work dedicated to Kenninji Temple, presenting Japanese spirituality rooted in Zen and Shinto.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Dedication basis: Part of Japanese Sanctuary dedicated to Kenninji Temple. Cultural basis: Presents the spirituality of Zen and Shinto through digital photography.
Sansui Above the Clouds
2013
A 12-scroll work dedicated to Kenninji Temple, composing digital photographs of clouds into sansui through the principle of the “three distances.”
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Dedication basis: A set of 12 hanging scrolls dedicated to Kenninji Temple. Structural basis: Digital photographs of clouds are composed as sansui through the Eastern perspective method of the “three distances” (high distance, level distance, deep distance).
Sound of Ikebana Four Seasons
2013–2014
A representative work presenting the sensibility of Japan’s four seasons, prayer, and ikebana in an international context.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Exhibition basis: ArtScience Museum (2013–14) and international screenings. Cultural diplomacy basis: A representative work presenting Japan’s four seasons, prayer, and ikebana to the world.
Wind God and Thunder God
2014
A work translating the classical Rimpa theme of Wind God and Thunder God into a contemporary moving image.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Cultural basis: Reinterprets the classical motif of Wind God and Thunder God through contemporary video. It rereads iconic imagery from Japanese art history in an international context.
Rimpa School 400th Anniversary | Projection Mapping
2015
A large-scale presentation of Japan’s visual cultural heritage in the context of the 400th anniversary of Rimpa.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Presentation basis: Projection mapping for the 400th anniversary of Rimpa (Kyoto National Museum). Cultural diplomacy basis: A large-scale international presentation of Japan’s visual cultural heritage.
TOSA RIMPA
2015
A work re-presenting the lineage of Japanese painting through contemporary expression.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Cultural basis: A series that develops the lineage of Rimpa into contemporary expression, showing continuity and reinterpretation within Japanese art history.
Opening of the Tale of the Heike: “The Sound of the Bell of Gion Shōja”
2015
A work translating the Buddhist sense of impermanence in the opening lines of The Tale of the Heike into visual and auditory expression.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Cultural basis: Translates the sense of impermanence in the opening of The Tale of the Heike into visual and auditory expression. It presents Japanese classical literature internationally.
Opening of the Tale of the Heike “The Sound of the Bell of Gion Shōja”
Renjishi
2016
A work translating the physicality and symbolism of Kabuki into contemporary moving image.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Cultural basis: Translates the physicality and symbolism of Kabuki into contemporary video. It re-presents Japanese traditional performing arts.
Invisible Beauty: Fuku
2018
A work presenting Japanese festivity and spirituality in Hong Kong.
Notes (Exhibitions, Awards, Scholarly Context)
Exhibition basis: Presented in Hong Kong, connected to Whitestone Gallery Hong Kong. Cultural basis: Internationally presents festivity and spirituality.
Zero Gravity Art in EXPO2025 Osaka/Kansai
2025
Conceived for Expo 2025, this installation advances Naoko Tosa’s long-standing inquiry into the visualization of imperceptible forces by situating it within a distinctly public and international arena. Drawing upon the visual language of Sound of Ikebana, the work transforms invisible phenomena into an immersive spatial environment, inviting reflection on the origins of life, the fragility of existence, and possible futures yet to emerge. Developed through a collaboration with Kyoto University, TOPPAN, and Shimadzu, the project brings artistic imagination into dialogue with scientific research and technological innovation. In doing so, it articulates a contemporary Japanese sensibility that is at once historically grounded, materially experimental, and globally resonant.