We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Naomi Okubo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Naomi, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My work themes are related to my personal experiences and have developed, such as delicate human relationships at the beginning, to the current work focusing on the view of family, which is affected by social structures. My approach starts from the small things, a personal memory that makes my work more relatable to the viewers and can be expanded to the greater problems of our society. Making art is a way to relate and communicate with people, and to know human beings simultaneously, and those are the purposes for me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. I moved to NY in 2016 and returned to Tokyo in 2020. I have only lived in the city, but being in nature always makes me feel relaxed and excited. I have been exhibiting in Japan and other countries since 2008 and will have a solo exhibition at Fou Gallery in Brooklyn in 2024.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
It’s always wonderful to see and experience variety, not only in art but also in all other aspects of life, from reading to traveling, cooking to exercising.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
“Momo” (1972) by the German novelist Michael Ende has been the most important book for me since I was small. It is children’s fiction but questions time and capitalism.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nyaooon.jimdofree.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naomi_okubo/
Image Credits
1: Installation view of the solo exhibition “From here to somewhere” at GALLERY MoMo, Tokyo, Japan, 2021. 2: “Living in the closely grazed space” Acrylic on raw canvas and panel 130.3 x 194.0 cm, 2023. 3: Installation view of the solo exhibition “Uncertain Home, Transparent Body” at GALLERY MoMo, Tokyo, Japan, 2023. 4: “Put a Fire to Set Me Free” Acrylic on raw canvas and panel 162.0 x 130.3 cm, 2023. 5: “Wardian Cases” 66×122cm, Acrylic on raw Canvas, 2020. 6: “Stay away from the outside…” Acrylic on raw canvas 145.5×112.0cm, 2022. 7: Series of grass casting works ” Interval” at the solo exhibition at ELSA Art Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan, 2022.
