EVERYTHING THAT STILL LIVES WITHIN US
Paula Mesquita
05|22|25 - 06|21|25

The work of Walter Tada Nomura, known as Tinho, emerges from the in-between—a silent space between who we were, who we are, and who we may yet become. His Rag Dolls, composed of diverse patterns, colors and textures, carry within them the metaphor of our own construction — we are made of encounters, ruptures, and fragments that stitch together throughout life.

In his new series of paintings, the artist draws from personal memories, experiences with his children, and childhood recollections to evoke something that transcends the individual and becomes universal. In simple scenes such as a walk in the park, a morning at the beach, or a lingering embrace, he captures what truly matters: those small moments that we often only recognize in their greatness once they’ve become
memories.

Japan holds a special place in Tinho’s journey. He lived there between 2001 and 2004, a time when he deepened his connection with Asian aesthetics and philosophy. This experience resonates in his poetic approach, especially through the incorporation of the concept of kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold, honoring the cracks as part of the object’s history and beauty. He reminds us that
loss and rupture are inevitable, but they can be redefined as new forms of expression. If life marks us with absence and change, it is love, care, and gesture that rebuild the bonds and sustain our path.

His Rag Dolls emerge as guardians of these experiences. Each patch, each texture, each pattern holds the memory of an encounter, an exchange, a shared narrative. Evoking tenderness and contemplation, these figures reveal the emotional complexity of our relationships — joy, melancholy, hope, and longing.
 

Here, the city appears not as a protagonist, but as a landscape for connection — a living space where bonds are formed. The urban environment, which has always permeated his path, now embraces human connection in a more intimate and essential way. These scenes invite us to step away from the confines of digital screens and to inhabit, with presence and attention, the real world of affection.

“If today were your last day, which memories would you hold on to?” Tinho poses this silent question through his paintings and gently reminds us that what truly lives within us, what endures, is made of the moments when we love, when we are fully present, and when we share life with others.

A celebration of the relationships that weave and sustain our existence.