About the Exhibition

The seemingly tranquil forest is filled with various sounds, such as wild deer with acute hearing, trees, and fungi. The moon illuminates all creatures, and the symbiosis within the forest connects species, resembling a dialogue. They form a complex network, similar to our human society.
- Yoshiaki Nakamura


Whitestone Karuizawa is delighted to present "Voices of the Forest," a solo exhibition by Yoshiaki Nakamura.
Yoshiaki Nakamura, having an innate hearing disability, has communicated with others through faint sounds, lip-reading, and gestures since childhood. For him, who has always imagined sounds and explored the relationship between words and real images, dialogue difficulties mirror those of a traveler in deep forests and mountains.

This exhibition aims to represent the "Voices of the Forest." Nakamura explores the boundaries between hearing and vision, the points of contact and limits of dialogue between people, and the unknown possibilities that transcend these boundaries. He also examines how materials, sounds, and words interact within the realm of hearing and vision, as well as the differences in perception between the worlds of sound and silence.

Nakamura has encountered misunderstandings in dialogue due to his hearing difficulties. He believes that from these experiences, new values and meanings emerge. Miscommunication is not negative; it provides clues for problem-solving and the development of advanced ideas. Communication problems can happen to anyone, big or small. In this exhibition, Nakamura presents an image of the "difficulty of dialogue—the essence of communication" that only he can express. This offers viewers a fresh perspective on how "misunderstandings" can occur, encourages them to question their own preconceptions, and provides an opportunity to accept and empathize with others.