Celebrating the First Anniversary of Gallery & Bakery Tokyo with Erika Naka's New Exhibition

Exhibition Celebrating One Year of Gallery & Bakery Tokyo

A Milestone Event: Erika Naka’s Exhibition

From October 18 to November 18, 2025, Gallery & Bakery Tokyo will host a significant solo exhibition by artist Erika Naka titled "Dullness and Recovery." This event not only marks Naka's largest showcase in Japan to date but also serves as a celebration of the gallery's first anniversary. Naka will unveil a collection of new artworks, featuring a combination of large-scale pieces and innovative series that highlight her unique artistic vision.

Gallery & Bakery Tokyo, produced by The Chain Museum in collaboration with THE CITY BAKERY, is a unique venue that combines an art gallery with a bakery and café. This versatile space aims to nurture culture and art within the heart of Tokyo, offering a welcoming environment for both art enthusiasts and casual visitors alike.

Artistic Background and Philosophy

Erika Naka, born in Komoro City, Nagano Prefecture, specializes in exploring the fragments of contemporary signs by incorporating them into her paintings, thereby questioning their synchronous and diachronic meanings. Her approach involves layering thick acrylic paint, which often deviates beyond her control, resulting in a spontaneous "shift" between the paint and its support. This accident reveals the arbitrary nature of signs and visualizes the fluctuations of meaning.

Naka’s artistic journey has been recognized both domestically and internationally, earning her prestigious awards such as the CAF Masami Shiraishi Award in 2018 and inclusion in the Wonder Seed exhibition in 2017. Each piece in her portfolio challenges traditional forms of art, integrating experiences of momentariness and chance to produce a profound visual impact that invites curiosity and imagination.

Unique Exhibition Items

In celebration of the exhibition, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase limited-edition merchandise, including hand-crafted stickers personally made by Erika Naka. Each sticker is a unique piece and will be sold randomly from a collection of six types in capsule toys for 500 JPY. These special items can only be purchased at the Gallery & Bakery Tokyo venue, encouraging visitors to obtain their exclusive creation.

Insights into the Artistic Process

Naka's creative process for this exhibition began with a horizontally-oriented cyan painting. While working on another piece, she became captivated by the red paint, only to find, upon viewing her cyan creation, that its colors appeared more vibrant than ever. This phenomenon—caused by the red retinal cells adapting and becoming less sensitive—draws a parallel to how we often overlook the significance of familiar things. As we become accustomed to certain experiences, we may dull our senses and fail to appreciate their inherent value. Naka posits that only after distancing ourselves from these experiences can their true worth emerge.

As she works with the motifs of "contemporary signs," Naka harbors an anticipation that the audience will fully appreciate her works when their sensory recovery aligns with a broader understanding of these symbols in the future.

Visiting Details

Exhibition Title: Erika Naka: Dullness and Recovery
Dates: October 18 - November 18, 2025
Venue: Gallery & Bakery Tokyo, 1-7-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0031
Opening Hours: 8 AM - 7 PM (Open daily)
Admission: Free
Access: A short walk from Kyobashi Station (Ginza Line), Nihonbashi Station (Ginza Line), or Tokyo Station (JR lines).

For more information and to check out the event's dedicated page, visit ArtSticker. Join us as we celebrate art and creativity at Gallery & Bakery Tokyo!