Mayumi Nakao
Born in Hyogo, Japan, and now based in Brooklyn, Mayumi Nakao moved to New York City in 2013. Emigrating alone from Japan, she experienced feelings of isolation and despair. This series, entitled Borrowed Nostalgia, is based on childhood photos of her friends, and the comforting, familiar family images warmed her heart and sparked her imagination to create vibrant scenes with a sentimental value.
“My ‘Borrowed Nostalgia’ concept is about family and friendship, and emerged after seeing a friend’s photos of his early family life in Ghana. I asked whether I could paint his photos; I wanted to focus on different cultures and races as a way to cultivate humanity and spread love. I thought of the different generations represented in the photos and wanted to tap into our common memory with paintings that are both strongly present and a doorway to our shared past.”