Group Exhibition "Animal Forest"

Kaikai Kiki Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition “Animal Forest” from October 12 to October 25.

Just when we thought the pandemic was over, political instability followed. Then came economic turmoil and volatility, and now the further acceleration of externalizing our brains is happening through AI… It’s hard to stay sane in times like these.
Those who can spend their days with their pets are fortunate. But for those who live alone, keeping and caring for a living creature isn’t easy. So this exhibition proposes the idea of turning to animals in art as a source of comfort for your heart. Some artists have even created new works specifically for this show.
Please come and see it—and perhaps meet a new partner for the next chapter of your life.

The main visual for the exhibition is a new drawing by ob. Regarding this new work, ob comments:

“This is a drawing of my pet dog. Until now, I have depicted how people project their emotions onto objects such as toys. But spending time with my dog, I began to feel that dogs, too, sometimes treat toys not merely as objects, but as entities that hold a certain presence within play. I drew the dog with the same feeling as when I draw human figures.
Animals are often portrayed as vessels that reflect human emotions, but in this work, I consciously tried to focus on the dog’s own emotional movements.”

Additionally, Mr. has created a new painting themed around animals. In this work, his frequently-depicted cats are joined by a lively crowd of various other characters.

The exhibition will also feature new paintings by AYA TAKANO, Chinatsu Ban, and Hideyasu Moto, new ceramic works by Chiho Aoshima, and a drawing by Otani Workshop, complete with a custom-made frame. MADSAKI and Tomoyumi will present new works depicting their own pets, while Shoko Nakazawa has custom-painted her “Byron” polystone figure with a cat motif. Hideki Maekawa has produced six new paintings for this show, depicting landscapes encountered during travels with his wife and their dogs, all presented in handmade frames crafted from reclaimed wood. Mai Kurotaki will exhibit palm-sized sculptures inspired by the dog that lives in the woodworking studio she rents as her atelier. We also plan to present works by Saori Nagata and Iso Togawa.

Mr.
AYA TAKANO
Chiho Aoshima
ob
Otani Workshop
MADSAKI
Chinatsu Ban
Tomoyumi
Shoko Nakazawa
Hideyasu Moto
Hideki Maekawa
Iso Togawa
Mai kurotaki
Masaya Kondo
Saori Nagata
Jingze Du
Alison Friend

Group Exhibition “Animal Forest”
Dates: October 12 (Sun) – October 25 (Sat), 2025
Opening Reception: October 12 (Sun), 18:00 – 20:00
Gallery Hours: 11:00 – 19:00
Closed: October 14 (Tue) & October 15 (Wed)
Venue:
Kaikai Kiki Gallery
Motoazabu Crest Bldg. B1F
2-3-30 Motoazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0046, Japan