Announcement of Exhibition and Public Viewing of Works Created During Residency for "ARKO 2025-2026 Mayuko Ose"

We are pleased to announce the exhibition and public viewing of works created during the residency period for "ARKO (Artist in Residence Kurashiki, Ohara) 2025-2026," one of the "Artist Collaborative Exchange Programs" conducted by the Ohara Foundation.

ARKO is a residency program where artists selected through public application stay for up to three months to create works, which are then exhibited and made public. This program began in 2005, and has hosted 18 artists to date, supporting their challenges and creativity. After the COVID-19 pandemic, it restarted in fiscal year 2025 as one of the "Artist Collaborative Exchange Programs." Aiming for closer collaboration between artists and the museum, it is based on two pillars: "Reutilization of Mui-sonso" and "Dissemination from OHARA."

This first exhibition since the restart will showcase the results of Mayuko Ose's three-month residency. On a large canvas nearly 5 meters wide, Ose's recent interests in the bestial and猟奇 (ryōki - bizarre/grotesque) nature inherent in humans are expressed, based on research conducted at various locations within Okayama Prefecture. The vividly colored, anonymous group of figures and numerous motifs connect the worlds of reality and fiction, questioning the boundaries between humans and wild animals.

Special Website: https://project.ohara.or.jp/ARKO2025-2026_osemayuko

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◆ Exhibition and Public Viewing of Works Created During Residency for "ARKO (Artist in Residence Kurashiki, Ohara) 2025-2026"

Date & Time: July 15, 2026 (Wed) - September 27, 2026 (Sun) 9:00 - 17:00 (Last admission 16:30)

Location: Ohara Museum of Art, Main Building Room 7 (1-1-15 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture)

Closed: July 27, 2026 (Mon), September 7, 2026 (Mon), September 14, 2026 (Mon)

Admission Fee: Adults ¥2,000; High School, Junior High, and Elementary School Students (under 18) ¥500

* Children under school age are free.

* This admission fee allows access to all exhibition areas of the Ohara Museum of Art (Main Building, Craft and Asian Art Gallery, Kojima Torajiro Memorial Museum).

* Please present any applicable disability certificates for preferential rates.

◆ Related Event

Artist Talk

Date & Time: September 6, 2026 (Sun) 14:00 - 15:00

Location: Ohara Museum of Art, Main Building Room 7

Participation Fee: Free (Ohara Museum of Art admission ticket required)

* No advance registration required. Details will be announced on the website.

◆ Mayuko Ose Profile

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1996. Completed the Master's Program in Painting (Nihonga) at Tama Art University Graduate School of Art and Design in 2020. Her work is characterized by flat application of paint, unique to Nihonga, and compositional structures referencing Japanese graphic design, primarily focusing on group portraits in Nihonga.

Awards include the Biennale OME 2015 Grand Prize (2015) and the French Embassy Prize at ART AWARD TOKYO MARUNOUCHI 2018 (2018). Major solo exhibitions include "Elephant in The Room" (2025, yiri arts/Taipei), "Teaching The Shape of The Moon" (2023, yiri arts/Taipei), and "project N 81 Mayuko Ose" (2021, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery).

Organizers, etc.

Organizer: The Ohara Foundation, Ohara Art Research Institute, Ohara Museum of Art Sponsorship: The Kuraray Foundation Cooperation: Caesar Art Co., Ltd.

Ohara Museum of Art HP: https://www.ohara.or.jp/