Day at the Seaside NOBUKO WATABIKI 1992 Oil and oil pastel on canvas 162.0 × 130.0 cm
Whitestone Ginza New Gallery is pleased to host "The Path Traced by Light," a solo exhibition featuring the contemplative works of Hamburg-based artist Nobuko Watabiki, running from September 10 to October 3, 2026.
Inspired since childhood by fundamental queries regarding human purpose, existence, and emotional resonance, Watabiki turned to creative practice to explore these inner landscapes.
Her artistic career has spanned various techniques, transitioning from printmaking and photographic box constructions to oil pastels on Japanese paper and acrylics on canvas.
Throughout these material shifts, her core objective has remained steadfast: giving tangible shape to unseen mental states and allowing those internal feelings to dictate her color palette.
Once rendered, these depicted emotions and delicate nuances take on a life of their own, separating from the artist and extending beyond the human realm to express a universal consciousness shared by all living organisms.
This philosophical view frequently dissolves the visual boundaries between human figures and botanical forms within her art.
Her extended period living in Germany has further shaped this vision.
Operating within a multicultural framework has encouraged her to examine individual differences while simultaneously deepening her connection to her foundational Japanese roots.
This cross-cultural experience drives her continued reflection on how diverse personal backgrounds influence how people observe, process, and feel the world around them.
Marking her first solo exhibition in four years, this collection brings together roughly twenty new and earlier creations focused on the interconnected existence of humans and plant life.
Echoing the way vegetation naturally reaches toward sunshine, Watabiki's art illuminates the gentle, empathetic trajectory of the human spirit.
Based in Hamburg, Germany, since 2008, Nobuko Watabiki began her artistic education studying printmaking at Musashino Art School.
Aufblähen NOBUKO WATABIKI 2025 Acrylic on canvas 50.0 × 40.0 cm
She developed her practice alongside her professional roles in advertising and special-needs caregiving, initialing her work with photo-collage before establishing her signature technique with washi paper, textiles, and oil pastels.
Following her move to Germany, Watabiki broadened her material repertoire and artistic scope, introducing fabric collage and canvas to her practice as her thematic focus shifted from personal introspection to a broader engagement with others.
Her distinctive imagery, paired with intentionally unpretentious titles, leaves a memorable, lasting impression.
In addition to her studio work, she joined the TEGAMI project in 2011 to send supportive letter-art to those affected by the Fukushima disaster, and launched her Portraits of Family series in 2017 to further examine themes of human diversity and connection.
Suporting me NOBUKO WATABIKI , 2005 Oil pastel, Japanese paper mounted on panel 100.0 × 80.3 cm
