Noriko Nakamura is a Japanese-born artist based in Castlemaine, on Dja Dja Wurrung country. Her practice draws on personal experiences of motherhood, cultural heritage and an enduring curiosity for the material world shaped by unseen life forces.
Exploring the material potential of limestone, Nakamura’s sculptures are shaped entirely by hand using tools such as prune saws, chisels, rasps, a mallet, and sandpaper. Informed by the Japanese Shinto animism perspective, this slow, labour-intensive, and intuitive process allows for the development of an intimate relationship between artist, material and form.
She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the Victorian College of the Arts (2011) and a Master of Visual Arts from La Trobe University (2024). She is currently undertaking a PhD in Visual Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne.
By carving with my hands, only using my own bodily forces, my process became much more difficult and slower, and through this attention to the stone’s inherent qualities, the relationship with the stone became more intimate. Through this new methodology, giving prominence to slowness, I attempted to emphasise my sensitivity towards the material by building an intimate relationship between myself and limestone, like caring for a baby.
/ Noriko Nakamuro
Aug 9 — Sep 20, 2025
Emma Davies, Noriko Nakamura, Michaela Pegum, Makiko Ryujin
In the Making presents the work of four makers that centre the act of making at the heart of their conceptual exploration in craft practice.
The exhibition speaks to the heart of what it means to be a maker. It highlights the reciprocal and responsive relationships between the practitioner, the application of craft-based skills and the creative expression that is articulated through materials.
