FFFES Art Installation 「Two Peppercorns」 by Nana Soeda
Nanamica will host a temporary art installation titled " Two Peppercorns " by artist Nana Soeda at nanamica MOUNTAIN in Daikanyama, Tokyo.
The project "FFFES (For. Feel. Find. Endangered Species)" was launched in the previous season.
Each season, it highlights one species of living creature and one artist. The goal is to provide an opportunity for people to learn about endangered species while enjoying the artwork of the creature created by the artist and the corresponding items. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Nature Conservation Society of Japan, a public interest incorporated foundation that works on the conservation of endangered species in Japan. In the 2026 Fall & Winter season, we feature Japanese giant stag beetle that is a species widely recognized as one of Japan’s representative insects and artist Nana Soeda as seventh edition of this project.
For this art installation, we are pleased to present a special exhibition at the nanamica MOUNTAIN store featuring works by Soeda, created art piece by upcycling excess fabric. By conceptually combining excess fabric generated during the production process with endangered flora and fauna, she has created new artworks based on the inner messages of endangered species.
Through her unique perspective, please enjoy this special installation which links the endangered species Japanese giant stag beetle with artworks that intertwine materials, nature, and design.
In conjunction with this exhibition, visitors can enjoy the lineup of THE NORTH FACE Purple Label’s Fall / Winter collection, particularly the FFFES series primarily available at nanamica MOUNTAIN.
Through Soeda’s artwork and the message of this exhibition, we hope to spark interest in the natural environment surrounding us, including endangered species like Japanese giant stag beetle.
Here is Soeda’s comment:
「A stag beetle’s eyes are black and round, like two peppercorns. They are so dark that they frighten me a little.
Even so, I want to try to understand them. Even if each pair of eyes takes a different shape, we may still share the same gaze.」
FFFES Art Installation
「Two Peppercorns」 by Nana Soeda
Dates：2026 September 11 (Fri) - September 24 (Thu)
Venue：nanamica MOUNTAIN
Artist: Nana Soeda
オオクワガタ Dorcus hopei binodulosus
The giant stag beetle is Japan’s largest stag beetle, widely distributed from southern Hokkaido to Kyushu.
It has a black, flat body; males are characterized by their impressive mandibles, while females have a strong gloss and vertical grooves on their wings. Males can reach a body length of 76mm. Nocturnal, they gather around tree sap in coppice woodlands such as satoyama forests, take about three years to become adults, and overwinter. In addition to the loss of charcoal forests and habitat destruction caused by land development, the environment has deteriorated due to rampant overcollection for sale and inappropriate collecting practices that break apart decaying wood.
Furthermore, as foreign subspecies and individuals from other regions circulating domestically have been released into the wild, competition with native species and genetic introgression through hybridization, or genetic pollution, have become new threats.
Although it is also called the “phantom stag beetle,” it is regarded as the species in the most critical condition among Japanese stag beetles.
【Crisis Situation】
※The disappearance and decline of satoyama environments, which serve as its habitat due to development.
※A decline in population caused by the impact of mass collecting for commercial purposes.
※Genetic pollution caused by hybridization with foreign subspecies and populations from other regions.
Nana Soeda
Born in Tokyo. Nana Soeda creates paintings and animations using unnamed characters and face-like presences hidden in everyday scenery as motifs.Interested in the discomfort and anger she has felt in her own life, as well as gaps in perception between herself and others, she explores the possibility of small forms of empathy that arise from personal experience. In 2020, she held her first solo exhibition, “Little Guts (Issue).” She currently co-runs “Gallery ○○ (Honyarara),” a space within GASBON METABOLISM in Yamanashi that continuously exhibits only her own works, while also participating in various projects and exhibitions.
FFFES (For, Feel, Find, Endangered Species)
【Endangered Species in Japan】
Each season, it highlights one species of living creature and one artist.
The goal is to provide an opportunity for people to learn about endangered species while enjoying the artwork of the creature created by the artist and the corresponding items. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Nature Conservation Society of Japan, a public interest incorporated foundation that works on the conservation of endangered species in Japan.
https://www.nanamica.com/contents/1324/
Pop-up event featuring Nana Soeda at nanamica MOUNTAIN is scheduled to start from September 11, 2026. We will continue to regularly share content and pop-ups created by the store for our customers to enjoy. For more details, please visit the nanamica MOUNTAIN Instagram account.
■nanamica MOUNTAIN Instagram:@nanamica_mountain
