ADF Art Gallery Project Vol.38 Nicola Maniero Solo Exhibition〝Tokyo Urban Portraits”

ADF (NPO Aoyama Design Forum) is pleased to present "Tokyo Urban Portraits ," the 38th exhibition of the "ADF Art Gallery Project" by artist Nicola Maniero, from 2 to 13 March 2026 at GARDE Gallery at Omotesando, Tokyo.

Maniero has developed an independent photographic research focused on the contemporary city, based in Tokyo. Working simultaneously as an architect and photographer, he observes urban life at a human scale, and pays particular attention to marginal situations, everyday gestures, and moments that escape planned representation. with an early interest in the relationship between space, perception, and everyday life. Rather than depicting architecture as an object, his photography explores how built environments are　emotionally experienced.

The portraits, born from chance encounters on streets and in railway stations, capture moments in which defenses loosen and inner states briefly surface. Presented as fragmentary and unresolved motifs, the individuals do not narrate fixed identities; instead, they reflect the instability and ambiguity inherent to contemporary urban life, quietly inviting viewers to confront the presence of others.

This exhibition attempts to reconsider the city as a concept through the human figures embedded within public space.

《Nicola Maniero Profile》
Nicola Maniero is an Italian architect and photographer based in Tokyo. He graduated in Architecture from IUAV University of Venice, where he developed an early interest in the relationship between space, perception, and everyday life. Since 2010, he has been part of Kengo Kuma & Associates, where he is currently Partner, working on cultural, infrastructural, and urban projects across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.