GW Contemporary is proud to present Mantra, a solo exhibition of new sculptures by Nobuhito Nishigawara (b. 1974, Nagoya, Japan; lives and works in Southern California). Known for his intuitive, materially driven practice, Nishigawara creates ceramic works that hold both vulnerability and strength, impermanence and continuity. This exhibition marks his first solo presentation with the gallery and brings together more than thirty new sculptures that form an immersive landscape of abstraction and presence.
At the core of Nishigawara’s practice is a philosophy of temporality: “Everything is temporary. Everything changes. Eventually, everything disappears.” His sculptures are not functional vessels but layered records of lived experience. Built entirely by hand, their textured surfaces carry the marks of touch—finger-pressed indentations, repeated lines, and layered glazes - where process becomes rhythm, and rhythm becomes mantra.
The exhibition’s title underscores this meditative approach. Each work functions simultaneously as object and process, as reflection and repetition. Together, the sculptures create an abstract constellation of states of being - silent yet resonant, transient yet grounded.
Nishigawara’s work has been shown internationally, with recent solos at Luce Gallery (Turin) and Melissa Morgan Fine Art (Palm Desert), and participation in fairs including Ceramic Brussels, Felix LA, and the Dallas Art Fair. His sculptures have featured in institutional exhibitions at MOCA Los Angeles, Laguna Art Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, and the Torrance Art Museum, and he has previously exhibited with Mark Moore Gallery, Winston Wachter Fine Art, and the Garth Clark Gallery in New York.