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Otoha Takenami "Echo(Yamabiko)"
Kohtoh
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Otoha Takenami
Kohtoh is pleased to present Echo (Yamabiko), a solo exhibition by Otoha Takenami, on view from February 5 to February 22, 2026. This exhibition marks Takenami’s first presentation of oil paintings. Until now, she has primarily worked with acrylic paint on paper, and this new body of work represents a significant shift in her materials and approach.
Born in 1989 in Shizuoka Prefecture and currently based in Tokyo, Takenami has depicted modest, fleeting landscapes that quietly linger in her memory, as well as the subtle glimmers of life found in animals and plants encountered in everyday life. Alongside her artistic practice, she has also been active in the field of illustration, producing book covers and editorial imagery.
In the summer of last year, her solo exhibition A Day of Painting at Kohtoh explored emotional transitions shaped by her life moving back and forth between her hometown of Shizuoka and Tokyo, overlaying those shifts onto the mountain ranges of Shizuoka and urban landscapes.
In Echo (Yamabiko), Takenami continues to observe these two cities while engaging with oil paint as a new medium. The exhibition centers on landscapes created through this process. Unlike acrylic painting on paper, oil painting requires long drying times, and Takenami describes the process as one of continuous trial and error. Through this experience, her once diary-like motifs have become more carefully selected, allowing the painterly qualities of her work to emerge with greater clarity.
Combined with the quiet narrative sensibility long embedded in Takenami’s practice, these landscapes gain depth and resonance, giving rise to a contemplative world that gently reverberates within the viewer.
This exhibition will be held concurrently with Takenami’s solo exhibition Hana at the antiquarian bookstore Frobergue in Kuramae, Tokyo (January 29 – February 16). A stamp rally connecting the two venues will also be held, and visitors are warmly encouraged to experience both exhibitions together.
Born in 1989 in Shizuoka Prefecture and currently based in Tokyo, Takenami has depicted modest, fleeting landscapes that quietly linger in her memory, as well as the subtle glimmers of life found in animals and plants encountered in everyday life. Alongside her artistic practice, she has also been active in the field of illustration, producing book covers and editorial imagery.
In the summer of last year, her solo exhibition A Day of Painting at Kohtoh explored emotional transitions shaped by her life moving back and forth between her hometown of Shizuoka and Tokyo, overlaying those shifts onto the mountain ranges of Shizuoka and urban landscapes.
In Echo (Yamabiko), Takenami continues to observe these two cities while engaging with oil paint as a new medium. The exhibition centers on landscapes created through this process. Unlike acrylic painting on paper, oil painting requires long drying times, and Takenami describes the process as one of continuous trial and error. Through this experience, her once diary-like motifs have become more carefully selected, allowing the painterly qualities of her work to emerge with greater clarity.
Combined with the quiet narrative sensibility long embedded in Takenami’s practice, these landscapes gain depth and resonance, giving rise to a contemplative world that gently reverberates within the viewer.
This exhibition will be held concurrently with Takenami’s solo exhibition Hana at the antiquarian bookstore Frobergue in Kuramae, Tokyo (January 29 – February 16). A stamp rally connecting the two venues will also be held, and visitors are warmly encouraged to experience both exhibitions together.
Schedule | Feb 5 (Thu) 2026-Feb 22 (Sun) 2026 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Feb 5 (Thu) 2026 18:00 - 20:00 | ||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://www.kohtoh-gallery.com/exhibition/takenamiotoha-echo | ||||
| Venue | Kohtoh https://www.kohtoh-gallery.com | ||||
| Location | 3F Kanda Bldg., 4-5 Kanda Nishifuku-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0037 | ||||
| Access | 5 minute walk from the South exit of Kanda Station on the JR Chuo, Keihin Tohoku and Yamanote lines. 5 minute walk from exit A1 at Iwamotocho Station on the Toei Shinjuku line. 7 minute walk from exit 8 at Shin-nihombashi Station on the JR Sobu line. | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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