Tucked into the warm, inviting walls of 67 York Street Gallery in London, Molly Maine’s exhibition, NOMAD: Perspectives on Home in a Changing Japan, is a quiet revelation.
As a digital nomad herself, Maine has captured something rare and powerful in this intimate showcase. Through vivid illustrations, interview quotes, and deeply human storytelling, she explores what “home” means—not just geographically, but emotionally and spiritually. And for us at Nomad Magazine, where the road is long and the Wi-Fi ever-changing, this theme hits home in a profound way.
A Tapestry of Lived Experiences
The exhibition is more than a visual journey; it’s a tapestry of lived experiences. On the walls, you’ll find quotes from people across Japan—locals and nomads alike—each answering one deceptively simple question: What does home mean to you? Their words linger like poetry—some full of warmth, others tinged with longing or displacement.
I think you can make any place your home.
Home is where I can share food with the people I love.
I’ve never been someone who is homesick. I’ve never had this yearning for home.
Maybe we have to travel because we have to look for our personal answer. To find our home… to be where we’re meant to be.
These responses echo through Molly’s illustrations, which burst with colour and emotion. One haunting piece—a solitary figure watching an aircraft take off—left me with a knot in my stomach. It screamed of goodbyes and transience. Another, said to represent safety, stirred up unexpected sadness, perhaps reflecting how fragile that feeling can be in a changing world.
But not all was melancholy. Scenes of warm embraces, an old wooden house known as akiya (abandoned properties now being reimagined by younger generations), and traditional Japanese scenes lit up with colour and creativity, left me feeling hopeful, even curious. As nomads, these pieces remind us that “home” doesn’t have to be fixed—it can be rediscovered, rebuilt, even redefined.
Beauty in Brokenness: The Power of Kintsugi
A standout moment in the exhibition is in the quiet back room, where Molly reflects on the devastating 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. A delicate piece featuring a cracked vase mended with golden seams using the traditional art of Kintsugi stands as a powerful metaphor: beauty in brokenness, and resilience in recovery.
It’s a reminder that even after the ground shifts—literally or figuratively—we can find ways to heal and carry on. In true nomadic spirit, 50% of all profits from the exhibition are being donated to the Noto Earthquake Recovery Fund via Red Feather, turning art into action.
A Mirror for Modern Nomads
Molly Maine’s exhibition isn’t just a look into contemporary Japan—it’s a mirror reflecting our own questions as nomads: What grounds us? What do we carry with us? Can home be a memory, a meal, or even just a fleeting feeling?
What sets NOMAD apart is how refreshingly different it feels from anything else currently on show in London. Exhibitions often focus on place, history, or identity—but rarely do they capture the fluid, untethered experience of nomadism itself. For a city teeming with movement and migration, that absence is surprising.
Molly Maine fills that gap with honesty and emotional nuance. Her work doesn’t just depict life in Japan—it reflects the feelings of rootlessness, curiosity, and self-discovery that define a nomadic life.
For us at Nomad Magazine, it’s exhilarating to see this way of living not just represented, but celebrated, in a major creative space.
Visit the Exhibition
This is one stop worth making—wherever you call home.
If you’re in London, we urge you to experience it for yourself. For anyone who’s ever packed a suitcase full of questions and set off in search of meaning, Molly Maine’s work will speak to you in unexpected ways.
NOMAD: Perspectives on Home in a Changing Japan runs until 13th July.
đź“Ť 67 York Street Gallery, London W1H 1QB
đź”— More info on the exhibition
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