{"id":1601774,"date":"2025-12-09T14:43:38","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T19:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/observer.com\/?p=1601774"},"modified":"2025-12-10T13:55:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T18:55:15","slug":"exhibition-otani-childhood-imagination-tactile-symbolism-perrotin-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/12\/exhibition-otani-childhood-imagination-tactile-symbolism-perrotin-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Otani Workshop\u2019s Invitation to Revisit the Unfiltered Imagination of Early Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_1602093\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1602093\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1602093 size-full-width\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"Installation view of a contemporary art exhibition showcasing large, playful ceramic sculptures of humanlike figures on wooden pedestals. Several smaller figures are displayed on a wooden table. The surrounding wall features colorful paintings, including portraits of figures with exaggerated features, adding to the whimsical atmosphere of the space.\" width=\"970\" height=\"647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg 4344w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?resize=635,423 635w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?resize=970,647 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/1-Installation-View.jpg?resize=50,33 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 135px, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1602093\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Otani Workshop&#8217;s &#8220;anima&#8221; is at Perrotin New York through December 20. <span class=\"media-credit\">Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli. \u00a92022-25 Otani Workshop\/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Perrotin.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Childhood brims with fantastical figures that guide our first intuitive encounters with the complexity of the world. Imagination shapes this process, acting as a filter that preserves deeper ancestral patterns while protecting us from the rigid structures long imposed on human behavior and expression. As one grows in a social system, there is a gradual pressure to comply with these frameworks that compress lived experience into a single-direction narrative and shared codes of order and meaning.<\/p>\n<p>Japanese artist Otani Workshop deploys art as a means of recapturing that feeling of receptive, unbiased expansiveness. &#8220;The world feels overwhelmingly complex to me, and I often feel that I cannot fully grasp everything in it,&#8221; he candidly tells Observer after the opening of &#8220;<a target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/leaflet.perrotin.com\/view\/1184\/anima\" data-lasso-id=\"2878496\">anima<\/a>,&#8221; his latest show at Perrotin in New York. &#8220;Art that reflects this world is also complex, but there are moments that feel as simple as the play I experienced in childhood, and I hope to share that sense of simplicity through my work.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The apparent na\u00efvet\u00e9 of Otani\u2019s whimsical human figures belie imagination\u2019s ability to distill experience into essential elements that still carry meaning. In their clarity and openness, they invite a form of playful empathy, evoking the wonder that once shaped early discoveries yet often fades into the background of adult life.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1602096\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1602096\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-1602096 size-full-width\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"Another angle of the exhibition, highlighting the whimsical ceramic sculptures arranged on pedestals and a wooden table. The figures, with oversized heads and soft features, are displayed alongside vibrant paintings on the wall, creating a dialogue between sculpture and painting in a spacious, minimal gallery setting.\" width=\"970\" height=\"647\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg 4344w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=635,423 635w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=970,647 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=50,33 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 135px, 200px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-1602096 size-full-width\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"Another angle of the exhibition, highlighting the whimsical ceramic sculptures arranged on pedestals and a wooden table. The figures, with oversized heads and soft features, are displayed alongside vibrant paintings on the wall, creating a dialogue between sculpture and painting in a spacious, minimal gallery setting.\" width=\"970\" height=\"647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg 4344w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=635,423 635w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=970,647 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?resize=50,33 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 135px, 200px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1602096\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Otani\u2019s practice reconnects viewers with the intuitive openness of childhood, inviting them to experience the world with renewed curiosity. <span class=\"media-credit\">Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli. \u00a92022-25 Otani Workshop\/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Perrotin.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Known for his whimsical, humanlike kawaii figures, Otani blends Japanese pop sensibility with the tactile quality of traditional ceramic techniques. In \u201canima,\u201d he presents a new body of paintings, bronze sculptures, FRP and ceramics that inhabit their own symbolic world, offering metaphors that approach deeper and more nuanced states of the human condition.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2017, Otani has lived and worked on the remote island of Awaji, off the coast of Japan, where he transformed an abandoned ceramic roof tile factory into a studio. There, in near-total isolation, he built a personal vocabulary free from trends or industrial influence, engaging directly with the land, using clay from Shigaraki and gathering memories through repurposed objects.<\/p>\n<p>Walter Benjamin\u2019s idea of \u201cmaterial imagination\u201d aligns closely with Otani\u2019s approach, in which ordinary objects take on new meanings when viewed with the \u201cuncontaminated eyes of a child.\u201d For children, the material world is endlessly reconfigurable, shaped not by inherent properties but by touch, play and improvisation. Benjamin notes that children do not merely imitate the adult world but reinterpret it, transforming discarded things into the raw matter of new symbolic realms.<\/p>\n<p>Otani\u2019s ceramic practice reflects this logic. Clay, for him, holds its own form of memory; it reacts, absorbs and shifts as he shapes it. This direct engagement enables him to imbue the material with a specific emotional charge before any recognizable form emerges. His sculptures rise as totemic presences, vessels of lived experience that echo the relationships people forge with each other and with the world. \u201cWhen I look at a finished piece, it feels as if the sensations of that moment return to me, and viewers may sense something of that immediacy as well,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1602095\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1602095\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-1602095 size-full-width\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"Another angle of the exhibition, highlighting the whimsical ceramic sculptures arranged on pedestals and a wooden table. The figures, with oversized heads and soft features, are displayed alongside vibrant paintings on the wall, creating a dialogue between sculpture and painting in a spacious, minimal gallery setting.\" width=\"970\" height=\"647\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg 4344w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=635,423 635w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=970,647 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=50,33 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 135px, 200px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-1602095 size-full-width\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"Another angle of the exhibition, highlighting the whimsical ceramic sculptures arranged on pedestals and a wooden table. The figures, with oversized heads and soft features, are displayed alongside vibrant paintings on the wall, creating a dialogue between sculpture and painting in a spacious, minimal gallery setting.\" width=\"970\" height=\"647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg 4344w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=635,423 635w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=970,647 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/2-Installation-View.jpg?resize=50,33 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 135px, 200px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1602095\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In his work, Otani regularly experiments with new methods of shaping, firing and glazing. <span class=\"media-credit\">Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli. \u00a92022-25 Otani Workshop\/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Perrotin.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In his broader practice, the sense of play is unmistakable. His clay sculptures, like his paintings, appear raw, tactile and delightfully spontaneous, revealing the immediacy of his hand in the act of shaping. It is this vital spark\u2014the anima that gives the exhibition its name\u2014that moves through the work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe figures come to me in many different ways,\u201d Otani says. \u201cSome have clear origins\u2014they may resemble me or members of my family. But there are also unexpected figures that suddenly appear while I am twisting clay in my hands or making casual sketches on paper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The clay figures, despite their kawaii appearance, engage through fluid, almost provisional forms that retain a strong sense of tactility and human presence. Clay itself behaves like a living material, able to hold traces of movement as it cracks, absorbs and transforms through Otani\u2019s storytelling: \u201cClay is soft and remembers every movement of my fingers and hands. I like the feeling that my bodily thinking is recorded directly in the material.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In his paintings, Otani preserves this responsiveness to touch, using a free-flowing process that explores the physicality of the work by molding and rematerializing archetypal forms. These figures become metaphors for human attitudes and relations. In this expanded space, the \u201cmonstrous\u201d and the \u201cother\u201d\u2014the experience of difference\u2014are welcomed with a softness that invites connection rather than division.<\/p>\n<p>Aligned with Kaikai Kiki Co.&#8217;s superflat aesthetic, Otani\u2019s characters are intentionally open and innocent in affect, evoking the immediacy of early life\u2014an expression of self before rationalization takes over. His work recalls Michael Meade\u2019s notion of \u201cmythical imagination,\u201d with figures emerging from a pre-verbal, symbolic field, untouched by the ordering mechanisms of adult logic. They gesture toward a deeper, nonlinear temporality, similar to childhood, when experience unfolds through rhythms, sensations, and the unpredictable flow of attention.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1602097\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1602097\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-1602097 size-full-width\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"&quot;Installation view with a blend of both sculptures and domestic items, such as a wooden cabinet and a vintage writing desk. The ceramic figures with soft, childlike features are placed on these objects, while a large, colorful portrait of a childlike figure hangs on the wall, creating an intimate, home-like atmosphere that blurs the lines between art and everyday life.\" width=\"970\" height=\"647\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg 4344w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=635,423 635w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=970,647 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=50,33 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 135px, 200px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-1602097 size-full-width\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"&quot;Installation view with a blend of both sculptures and domestic items, such as a wooden cabinet and a vintage writing desk. The ceramic figures with soft, childlike features are placed on these objects, while a large, colorful portrait of a childlike figure hangs on the wall, creating an intimate, home-like atmosphere that blurs the lines between art and everyday life.\" width=\"970\" height=\"647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg 4344w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=635,423 635w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=970,647 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/5-Installation-View.jpg?resize=50,33 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 135px, 200px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1602097\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The softness of Otani\u2019s figures invites empathy, nostalgia and contemplation. <span class=\"media-credit\">Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli. \u00a92022-25 Otani Workshop\/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Perrotin.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At the same time, Otani\u2019s work retains a strong sense of tenderness and domestic intimacy. In the Perrotin exhibition, he introduces cabinets and furniture pieces that become vessels, carrying emotions and recollections that lead us back to childhood\u2019s unfiltered ways of perceiving. Drawers, cupboards, closets and small corners of domestic life function as containers for reverie\u2014places where daydreams accumulate and cohere.<\/p>\n<p>This intimate connection between memory and imagination is central to Otani\u2019s artistic language. \u201cI weave together my personal experiences and memories with the sensibilities I\u2019ve developed through studying sculpture, ceramics, and painting,\u201d he says. \u201cI hope these personal memories and emotions resonate in a way that evokes universal empathy.\u201d His work is, in other words, an invitation to look at the world with renewed attention through a gentle, inquisitive lens colored by curiosity and imagination.<\/p>\n<h5>More in Artists<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/12\/artist-interview-jorge-pardo-petzel-gallery-exhibition\/\" data-lasso-id=\"2878497\">How Jorge Pardo Turns Light, Color and Form into a Phenomenology of Seeing<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/12\/arts-karma-gallery-early-experiments-artist-manoucher-yektai\/\" data-lasso-id=\"2878498\">The Early Experiments of Manoucher Yektai<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/11\/interview-hans-van-manen-remembers-photographer-erwin-olaf\/\" data-lasso-id=\"2878499\">Hans van Manen Remembers Photographer Erwin Olaf<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/11\/review-marina-abramovic-balkan-erotic-epic\/\" data-lasso-id=\"2878500\">Marina Abramovic\u2019s Erotic Epic Spreads Wide (and Displays the Limits of) the Artist\u2019s Psyche<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/11\/artist-interview-anselm-kiefer-iconoclastic-alchemist\/\" data-lasso-id=\"2878501\">An Interview with Anselm Kiefer, Iconoclastic Alchemist<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Art that reflects this world is complex,&#8221; the artist tells Observer. &#8220;But there are moments that feel as simple as the play I experienced in childhood, and I hope to share that sense of simplicity through my work.&#8221;<\/p>\n <a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/12\/exhibition-otani-childhood-imagination-tactile-symbolism-perrotin-2025\/\">Read More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":177935360,"featured_media":1602096,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"post_tag":[423807144,423867575,423807105],"company":[11615622],"channel":[177,71859,423807430,423867218,423979941],"location":[4614,423943031],"nyo_column":[],"person":[423985080,423998283,423941682,424001855],"nyo_post_hidden":[],"coauthor":[423983686],"class_list":{"0":"post-1601774","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"tag-artists","8":"tag-exhibitions","9":"tag-sculpture","10":"observer_company-galerie-perrotin","11":"channel-arts","12":"channel-art-reviews","13":"channel-galleries","14":"channel-interviews","15":"channel-interviews-with-arts-leaders","16":"location-new-york","17":"location-united-states","18":"nyo_person-otani-workshop","19":"nyo_person-michael-meade","20":"nyo_person-walter-benjamin","21":"nyo_person-gaston-bachelard"},"acf":{"homepage_position":"","homepage_title":"","homepage_excerpt":"","alternative_og_image":"","headline":{"seo_headline":""},"subheadline":{"optimized_seo_description":"","optimized_social_excerpt":""}},"apple_news_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/12\/exhibition-otani-childhood-imagination-tactile-symbolism-perrotin-2025\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":[],"rendered":"","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/observer.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80","coauthors_byline":"By Elisa Carollo","display_channel":"","thumbnail":"<img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=300&amp;h=225&amp;crop=1\" class=\"lazyload attachment-grid-thumbnail size-grid-thumbnail\" alt=\"Another angle of the exhibition, highlighting the whimsical ceramic sculptures arranged on pedestals and a wooden table. The figures, with oversized heads and soft features, are displayed alongside vibrant paintings on the wall, creating a dialogue between sculpture and painting in a spacious, minimal gallery setting.\" decoding=\"async\" \/><noscript><img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=300&amp;h=225&amp;crop=1\" class=\"lazyload attachment-grid-thumbnail size-grid-thumbnail\" alt=\"Another angle of the exhibition, highlighting the whimsical ceramic sculptures arranged on pedestals and a wooden table. The figures, with oversized heads and soft features, are displayed alongside vibrant paintings on the wall, creating a dialogue between sculpture and painting in a spacious, minimal gallery setting.\" decoding=\"async\" \/><\/noscript>","classes":["post-1601774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","tag-artists","tag-exhibitions","tag-sculpture","observer_company-galerie-perrotin","channel-arts","channel-art-reviews","channel-galleries","channel-interviews","channel-interviews-with-arts-leaders","location-new-york","location-united-states","nyo_person-otani-workshop","nyo_person-michael-meade","nyo_person-walter-benjamin","nyo_person-gaston-bachelard","entry-grid"],"parent_channels":"Arts, Interviews","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&#038;w=300&#038;h=225&#038;crop=1","thumbnail_url_2x":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/4-Installation-View.jpg?quality=80&#038;w=600&#038;h=450","excerpt_bare":"\"Art that reflects this world is complex,\" the artist tells Observer. \"But there are moments that feel as simple as the play I experienced in childhood, and I hope to share that sense of simplicity through my work.\"","is_sponsored":false,"formatted_date":"Dec 9","read_time":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1601774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/177935360"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1601774"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1601774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1604956,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1601774\/revisions\/1604956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1602096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1601774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_tag?post=1601774"},{"taxonomy":"observer_company","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/company?post=1601774"},{"taxonomy":"channel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/channel?post=1601774"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=1601774"},{"taxonomy":"nyo_column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nyo_column?post=1601774"},{"taxonomy":"nyo_person","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/person?post=1601774"},{"taxonomy":"nyo_post_hidden","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nyo_post_hidden?post=1601774"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthor?post=1601774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}