Born in Japan in 1985, Naomi Okubo studied painting at Musashino Art University in Tokyo. For her, art is not merely an expression but a dialogue—one fraught with tension between self-perception and societal expectation. As a teenager, she noticed how people’s attitudes toward her changed based on her clothing choices. This realisation—that appearance dictates social interactions—became the foundation of her artistic inquiry.
VEILED FACES, CONSTRUCTED IDENTITIES
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In Okubo’s paintings, identity is not merely self-defined but dictated by external projections. The repeated use of ornate clothing, soft colour palettes, and flawless surfaces creates an initially inviting aesthetic, only to reveal a deeper question: how much of identity is carefully curated fiction? As the artist herself notes, her work interrogates how reality is shaped by external perceptions and how we construct ourselves through the gaze of others.
ARTWORK BY NAOMI OKUBO TEXT BY DENİZ TEKİN
