This weekend Thinkspace Projects present new collections by Fumi Nakamura, ‘Memento’ and Young-Ji Cha ‘Forest Slumber’ alongside group show ‘Our Fantabulously Furry Feline Friends’, featuring 50 artists delving into a fun cat themed inspiration. And guess what? You can bring your fur babies to the opening reception!
The gallery transforms into a multisensory space of nature and psyche, transitioning from the endearing whimsy of the feline world to the imagination of two distinct solo voices. While the group show celebrates our timeless love for our furry companions, Fumi Nakamura and Young-Ji Cha explore a surreal subconscious lens with reality and folklore while letting us interpret the many stories held within it.
Thinkspace Projects also offers a full schedule of events, interviews, and much more to keep you and your creative needs fully immersed. Be sure to follow their blog Sour Harvest to stay updated on all the artsy things you love! If you’re looking to add to your own collection of art, take a moment and visit their online store to view available inventory.
Fumi Nakamura | Young-Ji Cha
‘Our Fantabulously Furry Feline Friends’ Group Exhibition
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 6-10PM
Exhibition Dates: May 2 – May 23, 2026
Thinkspace Projects
4217 W. Jefferson Blvd. | Los Angeles, CA 90016
#310.558.3375 | Tues. – Sat. Noon to 6PM
thinkspaceprojects.com
For all inquiries please contact the gallery via email at contact@thinkspaceprojects.com
Search their hashtags: #thinkspaceprojects #thinkspacegallery #thinkspacefamily
About the Gallery //
Thinkspace Projects was founded in 2005; now in LA’s burgeoning West Adams District, the gallery has garnered an international reputation as one of the most active and productive exponents of the New Contemporary Art Movement. Maintaining its founding commitment to the promotion and support of its artists, Thinkspace Projects has steadily expanded its roster and diversified its projects, creating collaborative and institutional opportunities all over the world. Founded in the spirit of forging recognition for young, emerging, and lesser-known talents, the gallery is now home to artists from all over the world, ranging from the emerging, mid-career, and established.
The New Contemporary Art Movement, not unlike its earlier 20th Century counterparts like Surrealism, Dada, or Fauvism, ultimately materialized in search of new forms, content, and expressions that cited rather than disavowed the individual and the social. The earliest incarnations of the Movement, refusing the paradigmatic disinterest of “Art” as an inaccessible garrison of ‘high culture’, championed figuration, surrealism, representation, pop culture, and the subcultural.
By incorporating the ‘lowbrow,’ accessible, and even profane, an exciting and irreverent art movement grew in defiance of the mandated renunciations of “high” art. Emerging on the West Coast in the 90’s partly as a response to the rabid ‘conceptual-turn’ then championed on the East Coasts, the Movement steadily created its own platforms, publications, and spaces for the dissemination of its imagery and ideas.
Fumi Nakamura,‘Memento’
Thinkspace Projects is pleased to present ‘Memento’, our new solo exhibition from artist Fumi Nakamura. Each elemen in Fumi’s workt is carefully selected to represent elements of life, memory, body and soul. Nakamura pulls from the subconscious, using metaphor and imagery to create striking pieces.
Fumi Nakamura draws inspiration from the Japanese phrase meaning “language of flower.” In line with this concept, each flower has different meanings right down to the positioning. Colors play a huge role as well, and each work becomes full of phrases and meanings. One tulip can mean a variety of things from “compassion” to “confession of love” to the “lost love” of a white tulip. This collection of works is layered and complex both in visuals and meaning.
About the artist //
Fumi Nakamura is a New York City based artist, illustrator and designer. Originally from Shimizu, Japan, her family moved to California when she was 12. Her intense and sometimes eerie graphite and coloured pencil artworks have been featured in exhibitions around the world.
Growing up in Japan around mountains and the ocean, nature heavily influenced what would develop into a Fumi Nakamura’s very distinct style. Human figures, feathered and toothed creatures, skulls, birds and abstractly altered animals with multiple heads or eyes form a mixture of natural and imaginary elements which make her sometimes grim looking art visually intriguing. Besides the obvious naturalistic influence, Nakamura’s work is a reflection of her mental state. Extracting heavy thoughts and emotions into her art is her way of staying mentally balanced. Nakamura holds a BFA of Pictorial Arts degree from San Jose State University.
Young-Ji Cha, ‘Forest Slumber’
Thinkspace Projects is thrilled to present Young-Ji Cha’s new solo show, ‘Forest Slumber’. In this exhibition, Cha presents paintings that focus on various characters which often are juxtaposed against a thin line between reality and fantasy. Although the themes are seemingly whimsical in nature, they showcase underlying tropes of morality, life, and death. Using themes from traditional Korean motifs and lore to stage her characters, she crafts surreal moments that are utterly engaging. In doing so, Cha creates scenes that invite imagination from the viewers, leaving the “why” and “where” open to interpretation.
About the artist //
Young-Ji Cha was born in Seoul, Korea, and currently works in Los Angeles, California. She started her training in classical fine arts and later in illustration. Her recent works are inspired by traditional folktales and various forms of animation. Besides freelance illustration and gallery art, Young-Ji Cha also works with various studios within the animation industry as a visual development artist.
‘Our Fantabulously Furry Feline Friends’
* Pets of all kinds are welcomed to the opening reception
* Watch for news on pet adoption events in tandem with the opening and throughout the run of the show
Thinkspace Projects is thrilled to introduce “Our Fantabulously Furry Feline Friends,” a new group exhibition featuring the work of 50 talented artists from around the globe. This exhibit celebrates our love for cats in a fun and creative way. For many years, artists have loved to paint cats. These animals represent mystery, independence, and elegance, showing up in art from ancient Egypt to modern masterpieces.
As people seek a way to escape from their everyday lives, the popularity of cat memes and cat art is at an all-time high. “We aim to provide our visitors the same chance to escape with ‘Our Fantabulously Furry Feline Friends’.” This amazing show gives us a fascinating look at how each artist has portrayed their furry inspiration. Each artist shows their unique style, using different techniques and feelings in their artwork.
