o b is one of the notable artists emerging Japan’s SNS generation in 2010 and currently active under the Kaikai Kiki Group founded by Takashi Murakami). She began her career by organizing local exhibitions in university with other artists her age through reaching out on pixiv, an illustration communication platform. Among them, the exhibition Wassyoi curated at Kaleidoscope Museum of Kyoto Gallery in 2010 gained the artist much praise and acclaim. Since then, ob has held multiplied solo shows in various Kaikai Kiki gallery locations across Asia and has partaken in many international group exhibitions, including Healing in 2020 at Perrotin Matignon in Paris and the latest 2021 Kaikai Kiki Autumn Show held at Kaikai Kiki Gallery, Tokyo.

In a world of technology, video games, and social media, ob infuses her experience of the virtual age into the reality of her art, often depicting a wide-eyed young girl in a whimsical and dreamy atmosphere. This recurring motif, also captured in the present piece, explores the female psyche by portraying the subject up close, whose eyes are unfocused, almost confused. The delicateness of the character presented through the soft medium of watercolour and monochromatic palette evokes pensiveness and provokes contemplation from viewers, pondering the inner mind and spirit of the mysterious girl.

ob是2010年在日本SNS一代中嶄露頭角的新晉藝術家之一，目前活躍於在村上隆創立的Kaikai Kiki Group旗下。她的職業生涯始於在大學與藝術家同儕透過插圖交流平台 pixiv 組織及策劃展覽。其中，其2010 年在京都京都萬花鏡博物館策劃的「Wassyoi」展覽好評如潮。自此，ob 便在Kaikai Kiki遍布亞洲的多個畫廊舉辦屢次個展，並參加了許多國際群展，當中包括2020 年在巴黎貝浩登舉辦的「Healing」，和去年在東京 Kaikai Kiki 畫廊舉辦的秋季展覽。

在現今被科技、電玩與社交媒體充斥的世界裡，ob 將她對這個虛擬時代的體驗融入並體現在她的藝術創作中，筆下主題常見眼睛碩大水靈的年輕女孩身處夢幻氛圍中回望觀者，本作則為一例。藝術家近距離描繪角色臉龐以探索女性心靈，通過水彩和柔和單調的著色的呈現人物的細膩。而畫作中的少女眼神近乎困惑的迷濛失焦，激起觀者的對神秘女孩內心的好奇與反思。