Summary<\/p>\n
Japanese artist Otani Workshop has opened anima at Perrotin New York
\nThe exhibition features a new suite of sculptures, paintings and ceramics
\nThe showcase expands on the artist\u2019s exploration of animism and spirituality, a recurring theme throughout his practice<\/p>\n
Perrotin<\/a> has lifted the veil on anima, new exhibition by Otani Workshop<\/a>. Born Shigeru Otani, the Kaikai Ki Ki<\/a>\u2013backed artist is known for playful, anthropomorphic characters and his latest suite of works delivers nothing short of a fantasy. Blending a Japanese pop sensibility with time-honored ceramic craftsmanship, Otani ushers us into his whimsical world through a display of paintings, bronze and FRP sculptures and ceramics.<\/p>\n Raised in Shigaraki, Japan\u2019s ancient pottery capital, Otani channels the spirit of kawaii into each of his creations. Yet beneath their charmingly cute appearances, lies a mythical, spiritual presence: \u201cMy practice is about transforming a bare material into something that has an appearance of life,\u201d the artist wrote upon his 2020 New York solo debut with Perrotin. \u201cAs a child, [I] found joy in finding human faces or animals and inanimate objects. Such a way of perceiving the world has something to do with the idea of animism in Japan, which is the belief that all things have a spirit.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Otani\u2019s process is as intuitive as it is physical. Constantly experimenting with form, firing and glaze, he works with his whole body, allowing spontaneity to shape the final works. This approach gives each piece a distinct vitality, most visible in his endearing FRP busts and ceramic sculptures. Their deliberately unfinished surfaces reveal the artist\u2019s hand, capturing the immediacy and honesty of his method.\n<\/p>\n As Perrotin notes, \u201cOtani\u2019s figures \u2014 both human and animal \u2014 are unafraid to express themselves as they are.\u201d In their solitude, Otani\u2019s gentle forms embrace a kind of freedom often lost in the passage from childhood to adulthood, evoking empathy, nostalgia and the beauty of genuine self-expression.\n<\/p>\n