Naoko Nina Forrest is an artist and astrologer whose work explores the relationships between the cosmos, nature, and the inner world of the human being through art and astrology.

Her background spans industrial design, architecture, spatial design, painting, Japanese taiko drumming, and astrology. She brings these different disciplines together through a shared language of symbolism and storytelling.

Having lived and worked in Japan, the United Kingdom, Egypt, and Australia, she has developed a perspective shaped by multiple cultures, values, and ways of understanding the world.

She is currently developing the R.Planetes Art Card Deck, a collection of 44 original artworks, its evolving online Living Guide, and The Planetes Academy, scheduled to open in spring 2027.

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Career

• Studied industrial design at Kindai University, followed by spatial design at Kuwasawa Design School, while gaining professional experience in urban planning and architecture.
• Worked at Itsuko Hasegawa Atelier, contributing to architectural design projects.
• Studied architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London from 2000 to 2001.
• Joined NANJO and Associates in 2002, contributing to art projects including those connected with Roppongi Hills.
• Moved to Cairo, Egypt, in 2004, where she worked with a local architect on architectural and spatial design projects.
• Joined a civil engineering and architectural design firm in Tasmania, Australia, in 2005. Her work included architectural design, structural drawings, and projects informed by local geology, climate, and environmental conditions.
• Began developing her painting practice in earnest around 2008.
• Founded Hinata Café in Perth, Australia, in 2010—an event bringing together art, food, and craft. Its final edition attracted approximately 3,000 visitors.
• Co-founded the Japanese taiko group Taiko On in Australia in 2015, creating and performing original stage works.
• Began studying astrology professionally in 2018 and subsequently established a private consultation practice. She has since interpreted more than 1,000 natal charts through individual consultations.
• Worked for the Australian fitness company EMF from 2021 to 2023, designing the interiors and spatial environments of more than ten large-scale fitness centres.
• Returned to Japan in 2024 and began developing R.Planetes as an integrated project bringing together art, astrology, design, and embodied expression.
• Has practised Japanese taiko for more than 35 years, performing, creating, and teaching in both Japan and Australia. Her experience of guiding others through rhythm, breath, movement, and spatial awareness continues to inform her consultations and her teaching approach within The Planetes Academy.

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Current Work

Naoko is currently developing R.Planetes, a symbolic system connecting the stars, nature, and the human experience.

The project includes 44 original artworks, the R.Planetes Art Card Deck, and an evolving online Living Guide available to card owners. These works will also form part of the teaching materials used within The Planetes Academy, scheduled to open in spring 2027.

In September 2026, she will present her solo exhibition, Memory Across Ten Billion Light-Years, at Galerie La in the Okuno Building, Ginza, Tokyo.

From architecture, she learned to recognise structure and relationships.

From living across different cultures, she learned to see the world through more than one perspective.

From painting, she learned to give form to symbols and stories that exist before language.

From taiko, she learned to sense the body, space, rhythm, and the condition of the people around her.

From astrology, she learned to read the stories held within human nature and the movement of time.

Bringing these experiences together through art, consultation, and education is now at the heart of her work.