Born in Kyoto in 1993, Ryo Nishimura is a printmaker whose practice is rooted in the delicate and expressive medium of drypoint. Through this technique, he explores enduring human themes such as life and death, the cyclical nature of existence, and the quiet persistence of eternity. Nishimura’s work is distinguished by its intricate balance of fragility and strength — the fine, blurred lines of drypoint are ideal to express both presence and impermanence, light and shadow, reality and reflection.
A graduate of Kyoto Seika University’s Print Department (2016) and Kyoto City University of Arts Graduate School (2017), Nishimura has exhibited widely throughout Japan. His work has appeared in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including the Kyoten Exhibition at Kyoto City Museum, the National University Print Shows at Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, and ユラグモノ (Yuragumono), his acclaimed solo exhibitions at kara-S and OWL Art Laboratory. His prints have earned multiple distinctions, including the Kyoten Award, the Chihiro Watanabe Award, and the Takao Hiwasaki Award at the Kochi International Triennial Exhibition of Prints.
In 2018, Nishimura presented his first solo exhibition at The Tolman Collection, Tokyo, solidifying his position as one of Japan’s emerging voices in contemporary printmaking. His works are held in major collections, including the Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, Kyoto Bank, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Harvard University Museums, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
