SHIKISAISHA is pleased to present Junko Okamoto: element.
This exhibition features new works centered on two key motifs in Okamoto’s practice: clouds and sanctuaries. For the artist, clouds symbolize an endless sense of freedom, while doors and tunnels represent thresholds leading to unknown worlds. The idea of a “sanctuary” overlaps with the image of an ideal realm—mahōroba—a pure and sacred place where deities reside and a beautiful, eternal wind flows. These visions form the conceptual foundation of her work.
Born in Kanagawa in 1972, Okamoto has developed a distinctive painterly practice that explores the physical weight of materials and the accumulation of time through weathering. By layering plaster repeatedly and allowing dyes to permeate the surface over time, traces of duration become embedded within the work. Cracks, stains, and peeling surfaces are not incidental but integral, generating a rich material presence while simultaneously visualizing the otherwise invisible passage of time.
The exhibition title, element, refers to the fundamental components that constitute her work—material, time, memory, and image. Through her layered surfaces, Okamoto quietly evokes a sensibility that allows us to perceive what cannot be seen.
We warmly invite you to experience the exhibition.
Artist Statement
To me, clouds are a symbol of boundless freedom.
Doors and tunnels are gateways to new worlds yet to be discovered.
And the "Sanctuary" where deities dwell is a Mahoroba—a far-off, idyllic land where a pure and beautiful breeze blows forever.
These are the essential elements that form the core of my creative process.
This exhibition features a collection of works woven around the themes of "Clouds" and "Sanctuary."
Junko Okamoto
SHIKISAISHA is pleased to present Junko Okamoto: element.
This exhibition features new works centered on two key motifs in Okamoto’s practice: clouds and sanctuaries. For the artist, clouds symbolize an endless sense of freedom, while doors and tunnels represent thresholds leading to unknown worlds. The idea of a “sanctuary” overlaps with the image of an ideal realm—mahōroba—a pure and sacred place where deities reside and a beautiful, eternal wind flows. These visions form the conceptual foundation of her work.
Born in Kanagawa in 1972, Okamoto has developed a distinctive painterly practice that explores the physical weight of materials and the accumulation of time through weathering. By layering plaster repeatedly and allowing dyes to permeate the surface over time, traces of duration become embedded within the work. Cracks, stains, and peeling surfaces are not incidental but integral, generating a rich material presence while simultaneously visualizing the otherwise invisible passage of time.
The exhibition title, element, refers to the fundamental components that constitute her work—material, time, memory, and image. Through her layered surfaces, Okamoto quietly evokes a sensibility that allows us to perceive what cannot be seen.
We warmly invite you to experience the exhibition.
Artist Statement
To me, clouds are a symbol of boundless freedom.
Doors and tunnels are gateways to new worlds yet to be discovered.
And the "Sanctuary" where deities dwell is a Mahoroba—a far-off, idyllic land where a pure and beautiful breeze blows forever.
These are the essential elements that form the core of my creative process.
This exhibition features a collection of works woven around the themes of "Clouds" and "Sanctuary."
Junko Okamoto
Junko Okamoto
Junko Okamoto
Born in Kanagawa in 1972.
Her work explores the weight of material and the beauty of weathering,
capturing traces of time within the surface.
By layering plaster and repeatedly soaking it with pigments,
she creates surfaces that evoke a sense of duration and mass.
In her pencil drawings, she builds up marks through repeated acts of drawing and erasing,
resulting in images that balance delicacy and strength.
Junko Okamoto
Born in Kanagawa in 1972.
Her work explores the weight of material and the beauty of weathering,
capturing traces of time within the surface.
By layering plaster and repeatedly soaking it with pigments,
she creates surfaces that evoke a sense of duration and mass.
In her pencil drawings, she builds up marks through repeated acts of drawing and erasing,
resulting in images that balance delicacy and strength.
