Naoko Tanaka

Naoko Tanaka is a Japanese artist based in Berlin whose practice spans drawing, installation, film and performance. While her work has been widely presented in international theatre and contemporary art contexts, drawing has remained the quiet foundation of her artistic practice for many years.

Working primarily with graphite, charcoal and pastel on paper, she creates images in which memory, imagination and physical landscapes intertwine. Forests, cities, architecture and natural phenomena become emotional spaces that invite viewers to wander rather than follow a fixed narrative.

Tanaka studied in Tokyo and Düsseldorf and has presented her work internationally, including at Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, KYOTO EXPERIMENT, SOPHIENSÆLE, PACT Zollverein and Zürcher Theater Spektakel. She lives and works in Berlin.

1993–1999 MFA, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

1999–2002 Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany (Prof. Magdalena Jetelová)

Selected Institutions & Festivals
• SOPHIENSÆLE, Berlin, Germany (2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2023)
• PACT Zollverein, Essen, Germany (2011, 2013, 2015, 2024)
• Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, Japan (2015)
• KYOTO EXPERIMENT, Kyoto, Japan (2017, 2018)
• KINARE – Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan (2016)
• Zürcher Theater Spektakel, Zurich, Switzerland (2012)
• ImPulsTanz, Vienna, Austria (2012)
• Nidwaldner Museum, Stans, Switzerland (2012)

Awards & Grants
• Prix Jardin d'Europe (AT)
• ZKB Acknowledgment Prize (CH)
• Fellowship, PACT Zollverein (DE)
• Research Grant, Berlin Senate (DE)
• Research Grant, Kunststiftung NRW (DE)
• Agency for Cultural Affairs Grant (JP)
• POLA Art Foundation Grant (JP)

Permanent Installations
• Permanent Site-Specific Installation, ARS Tsukide, Japan
• Permanent Installation, Kranich Museum, Germany

Publications
• Schatten Trilogie, 2017 (ISBN 978-3-9818774-0-3)