Aya Nakamura is a Chicago-based visual artist whose work consists of drawings on two- and three- dimensional surfaces built out of various recycled materials. Together, these elements aim to forge a more deliberate relationship between the surface and the mark—how do they constrain or release one another? Nakamura is interested in these gestures as they touch upon issues of assimilation and subversion within culture and the disciplines she is engaged with. Nakamura holds a BA in fine arts and political science from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in painting and drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has shown at a diverse range of venues in the US and abroad.