Phantom Tales

Perrotin New York is pleased to present Phantom Tales, an exhibition of new paintings and drawings by Japanese artist ob. Belonging to a generation that grew up immersed in online worlds, ob’s work explores how imagination can blur and merge with reality.

In ob’s paintings, familiar objects become tangible representations of intangible ideas—time, emotion, and memory. Her hazy atmospheres are in contrast with rigid forms, such as smartphones or toys, creating a feeling akin to a lucid dream. Inspired by nui-dori, a Japanese hobby of taking photos of stuffed toys in everyday life, the objects in her paintings carry their own stories. Globally recognizable icons that have transcended cultural and generational boundaries—Pikachu, Hello Kitty, Kirby—become symbols of the emotional nourishment that can be drawn from shared experiences.

ob has described her figures as young people who are “wandering through adolescence full of uncertainty.” She believes that as we go through life, each experience becomes a memory that shapes our identity. The motifs in ob’s work allow for multiple readings, inviting viewers to insert their own experiences. In recent work, the central figures are often accompanied by small dolls, perhaps a projection of their inner selves. Adorned with all-seeing eyes yet painted without mouths, ob’s figures embody the tension between awareness and silence—reflecting the elusive complexity of the mind. Interested in the idea that a single moment can be experienced differently by each person, and yet shared through collective memory, ob leaves us with a final question: where do stories come from, and why do certain stories endure?