Kaikai Kiki Gallery

Profile

Born in 1992, ob is one of the leading figures amongst the artists who emerged as part of Japan’s SNS generation in 2010. Whilst she was a university student in Kyoto, she organized and curated several local exhibitions after reaching out to other artists her age through the illustration communication service ‘pixiv’. This culminated in the exhibition “Wassyoi” for which she received much attention and acclaim. The name “Wassyoi” itself stems from the chant used by revelers in Japanese street festivals.

ob is also part of the new generation of artists who grew up in an environment where video games and social media have always been part of daily life, and she often draws wide-eyed young girl in a delicate, atmospheric space.These girls are set against imagined sceneries where they seem isolated from the rest of the world, giving the impression that the main story lies just beyond the painting’s frame.

ob collaborated with renowned cosmetics line shu uemura in 2013, and participated in a collaboration with Mika Ninagawa on the director’s drama series “Followers” in 2020. Her works continue to be featured numerous shows and art fairs, both inside the country and overseas.