Exploring the Ambiguous World of Killi Okaji at Tokyo International Gallery

Killi Okaji's Exhibition 'The Window to Hang'

Tokyo International Gallery will be showcasing the solo exhibition of Killi Okaji, titled The Window to Hang, from January 17 to February 21, 2026. This exhibition invites art enthusiasts to engage with Okaji's unique perspective on urban landscapes as viewed through windows.

Okaji's work explores the intricate relationship between the observable world and our intimate living spaces. The cityscapes depicted in her paintings are influenced by the properties of glass, which can both reflect and distort, leading to new visual narratives. Through the technique of traditional Japanese painting, Okaji incorporates soft colors and flat perspectives that seamlessly blend with the surrounding environment.

A significant focus of this exhibition is on the dialogue between private spaces and the artwork itself. The act of ‘hanging’ a painting on the wall is reimagined as a process of expanding our understanding of both art and domestic environments. Through her work, visitors will be invited to ponder the ambiguous worlds observable through windows, a recurring theme in her artistic exploration.

Exhibition Statement

The Window to Hang unveils reflections on the bond between our living environments and artistic expression. Growing up surrounded by architectural drawings and models, Okaji has imagined her artwork installed within others' homes from an early age. Throughout art history, specifically from the flourishing culture of 17th century Holland to the present, paintings have remained intrinsically linked to intimate and domestic spaces. Okaji's practice aims to investigate the unique position of artworks within personal living spaces.

To her, painting becomes a silent companion to our daily lives, intertwining with the atmosphere of a space and contributing to the crafting of a distinctive environment. Currently, themes such as windows, glass, and grids serve as critical components to explore the relationship between art and one’s living space. The distortions and reflections in glass reinvent how we perceive reality, while the grid pattern prompts considerations of natural perspectives against the allure of depth. This manipulation of perception transforms the experience of art, allowing it to create a window into the outside world where the visible and invisible converge.

In her exhibition, Okaji aims to intertwine these various elements, allowing paintings to breathe as extensions of interior spaces. Visitors will be able to experience a gentle overlap of visibility and invisibility, past and present, as they navigate through the interconnected realms of shared and private lives.

About the Artist: Killi Okaji

Killi Okaji, born in 1998 in Tokyo, graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts with a major in Japanese painting. Okaji's artistic journey has seen her exhibit in various prestigious venues both in Japan and internationally, including the Venice Biennale and galleries across Tokyo and New York. She has received numerous awards, showcasing her emerging voice in contemporary Japanese art.