THE FOREST DOES NOT ASK FOR PASSAGE is Nathan Kunigami’s first solo exhibition, the mind behind Lisbon-based Kokuga Flower Studio, a site-specific installation set to take shape in the lobby of Tivoli Avenida Liberdade.

In Nathan Kunigami’s words, “I’ve wanted to make some big-scale pieces for some time. When I got Tivoli’s invitation to create the installation for the hotel’s lobby, I was incredibly flattered and excited about the project. My intention was to craft something beautiful, albeit provocative. My pieces are always partial to a bit of strangeness, and these will be no different. The idea is to compel everyone passing by to slow down, even for a few seconds.”

The exhibition will open on 17 April and stay at the Tivoli Hotel until 30 September. This is the first exhibition of the art-forward calendar of the hotel for 2024, with a line-up set to promote a number of temporary contemporary art exhibitions. As such, THE FOREST DOES NOT ASK FOR PASSAGE, by Nathan Kunigami, is part of the “Tivoli Art Collection – Make Room for the Masterpieces” concept and promises to bring nature in all its essence to the heart of the city.

THE FOREST DOES NOT ASK FOR PASSAGE

In Brazilian popular culture, influenced by its indigenous roots, there is a belief that we should always ask permission before entering the sea or the forest. A reverence and respect for the entities that live there – the act of asking permission recognises the forest as a sacred place.

The exhibition THE FOREST DOES NOT ASK FOR PASSAGE is an ode to the strength and resilience of nature despite its constant erasure by man over the centuries.

Inspired by the image of a flower sprouting from a crack in the asphalt, floral artist Nathan Kunigami found his starting point for developing the two site-specific pieces for the show.

The first is intended to arouse the interest and strangeness of those who see it before they even enter the hotel. It’s an amorphous botanical sculpture that invades a space that doesn’t belong to it but was once its own. Entitled ‘Davina’, it is a tribute to Kunigami’s grandmother, who was always passionate about botany.

The second – a set of three sculptures – elevates what should be earthly. In presenting these floating pieces, the artist proposes a reflection on our relationship with nature.

As in Ikebana, the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging and one of the main inspirations for Kunigami’s work, the composition has three elements: ‘Shin’ (Heaven), ‘Soe’ (Earth) and ‘Tai’ (Humanity). The aim of this composition, like an Ikebana, is to find harmony between the three.

Exhibition THE FOREST DOES NOT ASK FOR PASSAGE

Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lobby

Open from 17 April to 30 September 2024

Contacts for information regarding the art pieces:

W: www.kokuga.com.br

E: info@kokuga.com.br

T: +351 932 427 890

Travessa do Pinheiro 6ª

1220-764 Lisbon

Portugal

The Artist | Nathan Kunigami

The son of a Brazilian mother and a Japanese father, Nathan began creating flower arrangements after studying Ikebana, the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging, with an artist in Tokyo in 2017.

Despite the belated start to his work with flowers, botany has always been a relevant and close subject for Nathan. Being born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, a city where nature springs up vigorously and abundantly, and brought up by a lineage of women who used to fill their houses and balconies with fresh flowers (which they cared for – and talked to – with amplified affection), the artist has found inspiration in the forms of natural and organic forms from an early age.

In 2018, after eight years working in the communications market for luxury brands, Nathan decided to leave the corporate world to devote himself exclusively to botany. During a sabbatical in San Francisco, California, Nathan had the opportunity to work on weddings and events by collaborating with two local flower studios: Tango & Foxtrot and Studio Mondine.

Since starting his own floral studio in Lisbon under the name Kokuga, Nathan has worked with different clients such as Prada, Loewe, Bulgari, Shiseido, Lisbon Fashion Week, Massimo Dutti, Nissan, Four Seasons Ritz, Sofitel and others.

Kokuga is a tribute to his Japanese ancestry, as this is Nathan’s original family name.

Nathan Kunigami | Kokuga Flower Studio