Working in Kobe, Nao Morigo graduated from Kyoto Seika University where she majored in Western painting. She began figurative painting in 1991 before turning to more conceptual art by 1999. She melds her contemporary imagery with materials used in nihonga (Japanese-style painting), such as mineral pigments, powdered brass, pearl and copper. As she breaks from the conventional techniques of these traditional materials, she considers the relationship between time and the concept of iki. Past and present intertwine in her most recent hanging scrolls. Challenging the dichotomy between crisp, geometrical white space and lavishly rendered paintings, Morigo walks the fine line between detail and simplicity. Following an honorable mention in the 2016, Morigo was named first runner-up in the 2017 Ronin | Globus Artist-in-Program.