As I began to write this text, I found myself revisiting the emails and social media messages exchanged with Ryuichiro Nakamura when he was alive.

Nakamura’s account was removed from social media platforms several years ago, and the text he had written to me in our conversations on Messenger has long vanished. All that remains on my screen are the words I sent to him, now appearing like my monologue. It’s a stark reminder of how much time has passed since his departure.

After his passing, I repeated such a ritual about ten times over the years, so I was fully aware that nothing new would emerge. Nevertheless, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the sudden departure of Ryuichiro Nakamura on September 30, 2023, both mentor and dearest friend, MEDIUM, is proud to host his posthumous exhibition.

Let me outline a dim overview of the background first. Presently, MEDIUM functions as a studio-cum-showroom for the jewelry brand led by me, Hiroki Masuzaki . However, since its inception in 2012, another aspiration has always been in my mind. As somebody who was once engaged in Contemporary Jewelry, I’ve wanted to periodically host exhibitions of the artists I have befriended in this realm.

Concerning Nakamura, I had directly conveyed to him during his lifetime my desire to embrace him as the primary artist at MEDIUM,  and he had graciously consented to hold a solo exhibition here as well. And now, I received the cooperation of his surviving family members, which has finally brought me to this occasion.

The reason it took a decade to realize this exhibition can be attributed to several factors. During this time, I was preoccupied with tasks such as relocating from Tokyo to Kitakyushu after the Great East Japan Earthquake and launching the showroom, which kept me occupied for several years, leaving little room for anything else. Furthermore, the global pandemic that caused widespread disruption over several years can also be a contributing factor. However, if I were to speak candidly, Ryuichiro Nakamura was such a close presence to me that engaging with the works he left behind was, in itself, a matter of considerable trepidation.

To fulfill the role of the organizer, I have spent the past decade wrestling with questions over and over - what form it could take and the significance it could convey, but regrettably, I never arrived at a definitive answer.

What has become evident is that the act of preserving the work of a departed artist for succeeding generations is a continuous and demanding endeavor. Furthermore, when the artist practices within a very confined context, this task becomes particularly intricate and cannot be approached in a straightforward manner.

As I approach this exhibition, which will be the first opportunity to present the works Nakamura left behind, my sentiment is quite straightforward: I am ready to take custody of the legacy of the artist who has had the most profound impact on me and endeavor to anchor his presence in our society, while being fully aware of the challenges it entails. And it also marks the commencement of my deeply personal undertaking.

I regret that I could not honor our promise to hold Nakamura’s solo exhibition during his lifetime. However, I can now fulfill our pledge to feature him in the inaugural exhibition at MEDIUM.

In tandem with the commencement of this exhibition, several initiatives will also kickstart. The fundamental components are:　

・Launch of a special website: https://www.ryuichironakamuraarchives.com

・Creation of the archive images for the website

・Production & sale of archives (replicas): supervised & produced by Hiroki Masuzaki / available at MEDIUM

・Management, conservation, and repair of the work

・Periodic displays of artworks

・Collection and preservation of reference materials

The essence of this exhibition may appear somewhat intricate, particularly for being the inaugural show held at a place like MEDIUM. Nonetheless, at least for me, from the day Nakamura passed away a decade ago to this day, the question of “What does mourning entail?” has been a continuous contemplation.

In general terms, the question holds a certain universality and often finds its place in discussions. However, my perspective on the most direct form of mourning between two artists is to receive the legacy from the one who came before, ideally evolving it and carrying it forward to the next generation.

In fact, there is little else one can do.

Just by looking at the field of Contemporary Jewelry in Japan, with which I was deeply involved for a certain period, there is a narrative that begins with Kazuhiro Itoh and continues through Ryuichiro Nakamura, Jun Konishi, Wataru Ikeda, and ultimately, to myself. As this story succinctly portrays, the world is filled with localized, small narratives. There is no hierarchy among them, and each one carries the lingering essence of vivid life experiences and beliefs known only to those directly involved.

To pass down such tiny narratives, someone must take it upon themselves to preserve them out of their own will, without being asked, even if their methods may seem unrefined. Without doing so, the possibility of passing down the presence and achievements of our predecessors to future generations would be lost. And, when it comes to Nakamura, I intend to embark on these efforts at MEDIUM.

At this point, I have several possibilities in my mind.

The first one is to create and sell replicas that faithfully mimic Nakamura’s original pieces to the best extent possible.

Another option is to develop a series built upon jewelry crafted with his own hands while incorporating some adjustments for practical wearability (as many of his original pieces are too sharp to wear), which would help give variety.

I intend to launch these jewelry items under the name “RYUICHIRO NAKAMURA ARCHIVES” and release new pieces on September 30, the anniversary of his passing, for at least the next ten years. Through this approach, I aim to anchor Nakamura’s works in society, even if it is in an indirect manner.

* In this exhibition, alongside showcasing Nakamura’s iconic works, I will also offer pieces for sale based on the brooch Hurt, which I purchased directly from him during his lifetime. These will be the first round of replicas available for order.

From an artist’s perspective, it feels like standing at the starting point of open-ended fieldwork related to “mourning.” Last of all, I’d like to end this text with the title of this exhibition.

Although I needed to ponder this for a bit, as a response to Nakamura’s final piece, NEWS FROM NOWHERE, I’ve finally decided on:

NEWS FROM NOW HERE

MEDIUM Director : Hiroki Masuzaki

Translation : Makiko Akiyama