Misako OBA

Misako OBA solo exhibition
In and Out of the Blue: 　May 2 – June 8, 2025

W83 Gallery
150 West 83rd Street, New York, NY
(bet. Columbus & Amsterdam Ave.)

🟦 Thank you for coming to the Artist Talk: Thursday, May 29 and the Reception on May 2, 2025. (The tickets: through eventbrite, hosted by W82 gallery).

TEL: (646) 430 – 5862
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 10 pm.
(Saturday depends on the weekend.)
Sunday 8 am to afternoon.

Statement for [In and Out of the Blue] by Misako OBA

What do you do when you feel blue, overwhelmed, or lost? How do you deal with the pain or move forward after losing something or someone you love?

Life often unfolds through turbulence. Unexpected tragedies arrive ‘out of the blue,’ sometimes one after another. Accidents, illness, terrorism, natural disasters, climate-related floods, and wildfires… Even as we overcome them, new challenges emerge. I knew these moments intimately. They are more than challenging, yet they reveal profound truths.

Through visual metaphor, I translate my personal experience and deep empathy for others into works that reflect universal emotions—grief, anger, confusion, acceptance, hope, peace, love, gratitude, and joy.

The body of my work explores human life as a journey. It is a deep examination of our souls and emotions. It also depicts the beauty of life with its transient nature and something larger than ourselves, reflecting light in the darkness and my perspectives. While science uncovers, there is still something beyond human understanding.  

Blue has long been my signature color, though in recent years I started to use green and amber as well. Blue “in and out.” So, the title has multiple meanings.

This exhibition reveals how I navigated and transformed “blues”—colors, feelings, and out-of-the-blue-tragic events through art to show light and hope for those who are experiencing difficulties. It features selections from my ongoing Stars and Desert series and How Can You Show Love…? (climate change-related) series, alongside gelatin prints from my early photographic work, El Camino – Beyond the Tunnel. These pieces, though created at different times, share a common theme: loss and grief yet light, hope, and love. Revisiting past works, I found their concepts remain timeless, transcending space and time. I am also pleased to present never-before-shown pieces with fresh energy.

In Stars and Desert series, I reflect on biblical verses mentioning stars and the desert—you may find hidden text and codes within the art. The concept includes transformation: from despair to acknowledgment, healing, and renewal. Additionally, selected works from FAUSTUS, meaning blessings found in loss, that led me to be a painter.

This path was never my plan, but I was led by light, art, blue, stars, love, and disastrous hardships—which I can even consider gifts from God. It all began with tragedies that arrived out of the blue.

Exhibition Statement by the curator Adriana Caicedo

The Gallery at W83 Ministry Center presents “In and Out of the Blue”, an exhibition that features the artwork created by Misako OBA; a compilation of visual diaries of both observed and lived moments. Some scenes evoke a striking emotional response, while others offer a window into more introspective experiences—each rich in color, visual and emotional intensity.

“In and Out of the Blue” explores and reflects on the emotional and spiritual aftermath of life’s most unexpected and turbulent events—those that arrive “out of the blue.”

Drawing on personal experience and a deep empathy for others, the artist presents a series of layered works exploring grief, resilience, and renewal.

Through a fusion of ancient techniques and contemporary materials, encaustic alongside poetry, scientific data, and code, her work reflects on the fragility of existence, the strength of the human spirit, and the search for meaning amid chaos.

The exhibition reimagines “blue” as emotion, color, and metaphor—honoring the beauty, sorrow, and inner power of our human and spiritual journeys. “In and Out of the Blue” also stands as a tribute to the strength of those who support us through life’s darkest moments. It celebrates the kindness that nurtures healing and the communities that uplift us.

Misako’s exhibition invites us to find solace, renewal, and solidarity —and reminds us that through empathy and collective life moments, we can rebuild not only ourselves but the communities we call home.

The body of my work explores human life as a journey. It is a deep examination of our souls and emotions. It also depicts the beauty of life with its transient nature and something larger than ourselves, reflecting light in the darkness and my perspectives. While science uncovers, there is still something beyond human understanding.  

Through visual metaphor, I translate my personal experience and deep empathy for others into works that reflect universal emotions—from grief, struggle, anger, and confusion to hope, love, gratitude, peace, and joy.

In my mixed media, I integrate both ancient and contemporary elements in one piece; layering ancient medium encaustic, text such as timeless verses and poems, scientific data, and modern coding languages that correlate with the stars, the universe, and our existence, inviting viewers to explore the meaning and the source of life.