Material: Western gold leaf, etc.
Exhibition location: ESPACIO Nagoya Castle – THE GARDEN LOUNGE (1st floor)
Biotope Garden
Beyond the banquet entrance hall lies THE GARDEN LOUNGE at ESPACIO Nagoya Castle. Displayed at regular intervals throughout the lounge are works incorporating Western gold leaf. Based on the theme of “Biotope”—a place where living things coexist—the paintings depict the flora and fauna of Japan’s four seasons, including butterflies, dandelions, irises, water lilies, white-eyes, kingfishers, turtles, and frogs. Look closely at each painting, and you will discover hidden creatures such as small insects and birds.
Kotaro Isobe
Born in Tokyo in 1970. Graduated from the Graduate School of Japanese Painting at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1997. Since 2008, he has created works based on the theme of the biotope. He received the Jury Prize at the Art Award Next in 2010 and held solo exhibitions at Art Taipei in 2016 and Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store in 2025. He also created the original illustrations for the 2021 picture book Fukino Hanoueni (Fukuinkan Shoten).
