作  家 と 作  品  紹  介

Greeting

Beginning in 2023, I spent approximately six months in France and the United Kingdom. I subsequently exhibited my work in New York in 2024, Shanghai in 2025, and New York again in 2026.

What matters is not simply living or exhibiting my work outside Japan. What I consider important is observing, listening, and reflecting on questions such as: “What are people around the world interested in today, and what are they expressing? What does it mean to be happy as a human being?” Through my artwork, I hope to share the insights and thoughts I gain from these experiences with as many people as possible.

For my fourth solo exhibition at Gallery Imagine, I will present works centered on the ideas that form the foundation of my artistic practice.

As the exhibition title, People Live in the Waves, suggests, over the course of our lives, we can do little but go with the flow.

Great waves are beyond human control. Human emotions, too, are like waves. If we struggle against a powerful wave when it comes, we will likely be pulled under. Rumors about people also fade as the commotion subsides. Waiting can be painful, but if we learn to swim, we can keep ourselves from drowning.

I believe art can offer us a hint or two during such times.

The works that capture our attention change depending on how we feel. Sometimes we encounter a work and think, “I don’t quite understand it, but something about it intrigues me.” The questions we then ask ourselves can deepen our thinking and give us the push we need to move forward.

With the hope of creating such works, I continue to pursue this theme in my practice.

This is my 21st year of exhibiting my work. I feel I am finally establishing a solid foundation for my artistic practice.

I hope my works will engage your five senses and offer an opportunity to reflect on where you are in life and take a step forward.

I would be delighted if you could take your time to view and enjoy the exhibition.

November 2026
Akiyo Ochiai

Translated by Junko Shinoda



Profile

Akiyo Ochiai

I have been involved in planning and managing art and music projects for many years. I currently work as both an art instructor and a practicing artist. Drawing on my earlier experiences with classical music and ballet, I have explored the connections between different forms of artistic expression by translating musical tones into colors and rhythms into compositions.

Through my encounters with Western and Eastern cultures, I have come to believe that the fundamental aesthetic sensibility I hold as a Japanese person lies in the use of empty space, which I have cultivated through my practice of calligraphy since childhood.

My works invite viewers to sense the subtle presence that emerges within the empty spaces of my compositions and to spend time reflecting on the emotions that arise within themselves.

2008　Completed the Japanese Painting Course, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Nagoya University of the Arts.

2005　First selected for the Nitten Exhibition (also selected in 2006).
(Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art Gallery; Tokyo and Nagoya)

2006　First selected for the Nisshun Exhibition (also selected in 2007).
(Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and Matsuzakaya Art Museum; Tokyo and Nagoya)

2007　Participated in the Nagakute Art Festival (also in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015).
(Nagakute Central Library, Nagakute Cultural Center, and Nagakute Welfare Center; Nagakute)

2011　Solo Exhibition: Self Healing III (also held in 2016 and 2020).
(5/R Hall & Gallery, Nagoya)

2013　Solo Exhibition: Meditation Corridor, 38th Special Exhibition: Self Healing IV — Akiyo Ochiai Exhibition
(Tetsugaku Taiken Mura Mugaen, Hekinan)

2014　Solo Exhibition: Light and Wind... (also held in 2019 and 2023).
(Gallery Imagine, Gifu)
Collaboration Concert
Presentation of pale forest, deep pocket, composed by MAKI code “M” and inspired by Ochiai's Haoto series.
(Toyohashi Civic Cultural Center, Toyohashi)

2015　September–November: Artist in Residence (also in 2023).
(Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France)

2022　Paris étoiles #1
(Espace Sorbonne 4, Paris, France)

2024　Stepping into a World IV
(Gallery Max New York, New York, USA)

2025　Solo Exhibition: People Live in the Waves
(GALLERY MARQUISE, Aichi, Japan)

ART Faire: West Bund Art & Design
Exhibited through A Lighthouse called Kanata.
(West Bund ICEC, Shanghai, China)

Began working as a member of the artist group Polyphony.

2026　BEYOND BORDERS NY
(GALERIA AZUR, New York, USA)

Ikiru — Being
(Gallery 60 NYC, New York, USA)