Born in 1955 in Tokyo Minoru Nomata studied design at Tokyo University of the Arts and had a career in advertising before he started painting on a full time basis in the mid 1980s. Since then he developed his own visual language of eerie dreamscapes with intricate architectural structures, devoid of any human figures. Although the buildings and landscapes might appear familiar, they are fantastical creations. There is undoubtedly an uncanny effect of recognition to his work though, which most likely derives from his process. He collates a large number of images from press clippings and popular culture, and then he incorporates all various references into his paintings.
He cites American ‘precisionist’ painter Charles Sheeler as one of his greatest influences, but in terms of tone and pallett his style continues the legacy of Surrealists such as Magritte and de Chirico. Music also plays an important reference point for Nomata, and he states that composers Biran Eno and Erik Satie are a great inspiration.His debut exhibition took place in 1986 at the Sagacho Exhibit Space, an alternative gallery in Tokyo run by Kazuko Koike. Since then he has had many solo shows around the world, including: the Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo (1993); Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery (2004); The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, Japan (2010) and most recently at the Sagacho Archives, Tokyo (2012, 2018).Currently he is also a Professor at the Joshibi University of Art and Design in Tokyo.
