© Ni Junya
Ni Junya “Unsigned Space”
Friday, March 13 — Saturday, March 28 2026 13:00–19:00
Closed on Sundays, Mondays and Holidays
Venue：LAG (LIVE ART GALLERY)
Daiwa Jingumae Bldg. 1F, 2-4-11 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
Opening reception: Friday, March 13, 18:00–20:00
LAG is pleased to present Unsigned Space, a solo exhibition by NI JUNYA, on view from March 13 (Fri) to March 28 (Sat), 2026.
Born in Shanghai, China, and currently based in Tokyo, NI JUNYA works from a foundation shaped by his experience at Bunka Fashion College, where structural thinking in fashion serves as an important point of departure. Centered on images that emerge from chance encounters with motifs, he constructs his canvases through compositions in which no single fixed viewpoint prevails.
Within his paintings, one may discern images suggestive of landscapes or figures; however, these are not organized into a continuous narrative. Fragments of differing angles and moments are placed on the same plane, forming a pictorial space that resists convergence into a single interpretation. Presented in an undifferentiated state, the images remain unfixed, open while containing multiple relationships.
The exhibition will feature new works alongside pieces in a range of scales. We warmly invite you to visit LAG and experience the exhibition.
—Artist Statement—
When I encountered Martin Margiela’s approach to anonymity and incompletion in his practice, I was drawn to what I think of as “the space after the author has stepped back.” By exposing seams and reverse sides, he presents not a finished image but a state in the midst of becoming.
My paintings similarly resist convergence toward a single center. Structures within the canvas are reorganized, and the gaze finds no stable point of settlement. The boundary between subject and background continues to shift, leaving the space in a provisional condition.
This is not a space intended for immersion. Rather, it is a place to be regarded from a certain distance. The viewer does not fully enter; instead, there is a pause—an awareness of one’s own position outside.
It resembles a space someone once occupied briefly and then left behind. Traces remain, yet no definitive subject can be said to belong there.
Unnamed, unclaimed, unattached.
And yet, undeniably present.
Rather than offering a completed narrative or a clearly defined emotion, I wish to present a state that remains undecided.
Standing before it, what becomes visible is not only a space that belongs nowhere, but also our own position in relation to it.
Ni Junya
PROFILE
Ni Junya
Born in Shanghai, China. Currently based in Tokyo.
Studied structure and form at Bunka Fashion College. Drawn not to the finished image but to the underlying structures and the spaces in between, shifted focus toward fine art.
Currently creates works centered on decentralized compositions and the drifting movement of the gaze. The image does not converge into a narrative; it exists as a quietly open space. No distinct subject appears—only traces remain.
The viewer can never fully enter the work. Within that slight distance, the space and one’s own position within it begin to surface.
Selected Exhibitions
2025
ACT Curated Group Exhibition “neophyt”
The Artcomplex Center of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2024
The Five Art Universities in Tokyo Graduation & Completion Works Exhibition
The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
msb-ism Exhibition — Musashino Art University Joint Exhibition
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Perspective for the New Generation 2024 (Solo Exhibition)
Kobayashi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan