Current Exhibition
Roppongi | Projects
GALLERY MoMo Projects is pleased to present Flowers, a group exhibition featuring works by Nomi Okubo, Ayano Kaeba, Yosuke Kobashi, and Tokuro Sakamoto, on view from March 7 (Sat) to April 4 (Sat), 2026.
Flowers have long been a recurring motif in artistic expression, appearing throughout the history of painting, crafts, and decorative arts. As symbols of life, decorative elements, or carriers of personal memories and emotions, flowers have taken on diverse meanings across different periods and cultures.
This exhibition introduces works by four artists who approach the shared motif of flowers from distinct perspectives and methods. Through their differing ways of observing and depicting flowers, the exhibition explores how this familiar subject can generate a wide range of visual and conceptual expressions.
Nomi Okubo will present works from the series Thinking of someone who has drawn botanical paintings, which centers on the motif of the greenhouse. Okubo is interested in the greenhouse as a carefully controlled and isolated environment, portraying it as a symbolic space shaped by human desires and ideals. The tranquil atmosphere within the greenhouse—surrounded by plants and butterflies—suggests a temporary refuge from the realities of the outside world. The works quietly reflect on human interiority and social conditions through the motif of the greenhouse, while also resonating with the sense of isolation experienced by many during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ayano Kaeba presents recent works featuring floral patterns as backgrounds. Since her early career, Kaeba has used plywood cut into specific shapes as her support, creating works that reflect on her present experiences while exploring themes related to femininity. Through experiences such as pregnancy, childbirth, and raising a child, new emotions and perspectives have emerged in her practice. In her paintings, textiles and classical patterns intertwine with personal narratives, resulting in images that are both intimate and contemporary. Floral patterns spread across the background, while motifs such as hands and ears appear in the foreground. Combined with flat, manga-like lines, these elements create layered compositions that shift in perception depending on the viewer’s perspective.
Yosuke Kobashi has long depicted self-portraits as well as animals, plants, and people close to him. His works reveal a warm gaze and a sensitive observation of the individuality of his subjects. This attentiveness extends not only to humans and animals but also to everyday plants and flowers, capturing the quiet presence of life in familiar surroundings. In his depictions of flowers, viewers can sense the artist’s intimate relationship with his subjects and his calm, attentive gaze.
Tokuro Sakamoto has explored the rhythms, repetitions, and overlapping forms found in both natural landscapes and man-made structures encountered in daily life. In this exhibition, he presents works depicting roadside plants. As the artist explains, “While idly wandering, I found the silhouettes of weeds beautiful, so I painted several plants growing by the roadside.” Through careful observation of plants that are often overlooked in everyday life, Sakamoto reveals their essential forms and subtle beauty. The compositions, though representational, possess a high degree of abstraction, quietly resonating with landscapes stored in the viewer’s memory.
Although all four artists begin with the shared motif of flowers, each develops their work through distinct perspectives and approaches. Through this familiar subject, the exhibition creates a space where diverse themes intersect, including our relationship with nature, personal memory, bodily experience, and the structures of everyday life. We hope visitors will enjoy encountering these varied expressions of flowers as the season of spring begins.
