Early Fascination with Architecture

Born in Gifu Prefecture in 1989, Nishi moved more than ten times during his childhood. These frequent relocations exposed him to diverse environments, sparking a deep interest in architectural spaces. By age nine, he aspired to become an architect, dreaming of designing his own ideal spaces. His early experiences of playing in forests and rivers, as well as napping in shrines, nurtured a profound sensitivity to the elements—wind, sound, scent, and temperature—an awareness that would later shape his artistic practice.

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Exploring New Possibilities

In 2008, Nishi entered Tokyo Designer Gakuin College, where he studied architecture and spatial design through hands-on experience. Graduating with honors in 2010, he found himself reconsidering his career path due to Japan’s economic downturn and social uncertainty. Seeking a more unconventional and exploratory approach to spatial design, he enrolled in Tama Art University’s Department of Environmental Design in 2012.

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Light and the Concept of "Mitate"

At Tama Art University, Nishi’s perspective on space was transformed through mentorship from lighting designer Satoshi Uchihara and Japanese garden designer Shunmyo Masuno. He became particularly fascinated by the interplay of light and the Japanese concept of mitate—an aesthetic practice of reinterpretation, where objects or spaces are perceived as something else through creative vision. Inspired by Junichiro Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows, which explores the subtle beauty of shadow in Japanese culture, he created Liminal - Boundary Line of Light and Shadow in 2013. This piece, which examined the relationship between light and darkness, won the grand prize in an architectural lighting competition. This marked a turning point in his exploration of the interaction between light and space. In 2015, he created MIRAGE CUBE, investigating optical phenomena and their spatial effects. The project received high acclaim for its innovative spatial expression, leading him to graduate at the top of his class.

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Research at Tokyo University of the Arts

In 2016, Nishi entered the master’s program at Tokyo University of the Arts and co-founded the Space Production Lab that same year, serving as its representative. He focused on innovative methods of spatial expression using light. By the time he graduated in 2018, he had completed over ten projects, each examining how light influences spatial atmosphere and perception. His graduation project, SKY PATH, explored the relationship between natural landscapes and optical phenomena, capturing the hidden interplay of light within natural scenery. The work received an academic award for its contribution to spatial studies.

 

Earning a Doctorate and International Activities

In 2018, Nishi entered the doctoral program at Tokyo University of the Arts and began expanding his research internationally. Participating in an artist residency in Malta, he deepened his understanding of light and spatial perception. He then traveled across five European countries, including the Netherlands, conducting research with a lux meter. His encounters with the distinct qualities of "Dutch light" and the architectural atmosphere created by Peter Zumthor significantly influenced his research. In 2020, he completed his doctoral dissertation alongside the architectural project Ripple, which established three key elements of spatial expression: Atmosphere, Scenery, and Mitate. This work gained major recognition, earning him multiple international awards, including the Nomura Art Prize, the Grand Prize and Special Prize at the JID AWARD, the Emerging Architectural Lighting Designer of the Year at the LIT Lighting Design Awards, and the Emerging Architect of the Year at the BLT Built Design Awards. In total, he has received 17 titles across 11 prestigious awards.

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The Pandemic and a Second Doctoral Program

In 2021, Nishi planned to continue his overseas activities, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his plans. This led him to re-enroll in the doctoral program in the Architecture Department at Tokyo University of the Arts, where he began a new research focus on structures that respond to unpredictable natural phenomena. Under the guidance of structural engineer Mitsuhiro Kanada, a member of the globally renowned engineering firm Arup, he explored ways to integrate optical phenomena into architectural structures. In 2022, he co-founded OSOTO lab., an artist duo dedicated to investigating the potential of natural environments and spatial expression. Resuming international activities in 2023, he was selected for the TOKAS bilateral exchange program and participated in a residency at HIAP in Finland. During the residency, he visited nearly 100 architectural sites, with special support from Takashi Koizumi, a Japanese scholar specializing in Nordic architecture. The poetic use of light in Juha Leiviskä’s architecture left a profound impact on his approach to spatial design.

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Present and Future

Nishi’s current challenge is to create architectural spaces where light can be experienced independently of ambient brightness and to manipulate optical phenomena through architectural structures and materials. His work is deeply rooted in continuous observation of natural environments—solar altitude, illuminance, wind speed, humidity, and weather—and the atmospheric qualities they produce. Moving forward, he aims to push the boundaries of spatial expression, creating innovative environments that seamlessly integrate nature and architecture. Through his research and artistic practice, he seeks to redefine how light can shape human experience within space, offering new perspectives on the relationship between architecture and natural phenomena.