Some self-portraits is in my solo show In and Out of the Blue, 2025 at W83 Gallery (New York, NY)
These are from pre Selfie-era. As you see the statement from my previous gallery director below, I didn’t want to show my self-portraits in public. Even now, I am not very willing to show my self-portraits in public because I want my art works to be remembered, not my face. (I used to be on Japanese television every day due to my previous my career. I didn’t quite enjoy much my face to be known everywhere I went. So, I have no interest in fame). However, as an art form and as a mean of the expression of my theme/concept/message to convey, I sometimes needed and need to use the portraits. Here are some works. (The monochrome photos are gelatin silver prints. They were photographed wth black and white films. Then, I developed the films and printed from the negatives in my darkroom in New York City or Tokyo back then.)
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Chaos I
Vintage archival gelatin silver print with the film reticulation, unique print + 1AP, 2001, 20×16 inch
I took the photo with black and photo film at the pain clinic in the hospital when I was treated with a chiropractic on my cheek – electric needles that the doctor treated. It was in the middle of disastrous year and one year before. Due to a terrible incident, my right eye socket was broken and because of that, I got double vision eye-sight when I look up. In order to fix the problem, I had a surgery on my right eye and cheek area, however, the surgery failed. In addition to my double vision problem, I started having a pain on my right cheek. The doctor hurt and damaged the nerve system or the tissue in my cheek. So, i was on medication but in vain, and went to see as many doctors as possible to reduce the pain. The chiropractors with electrical needle was one of them. During the ordeal which was before I became an artist or photographer, I felt urge to make images. It actually ended up reducing my physical and emotional pain drastically. I developed the film and manipulated the film in the darkroom and printed. Then, torned the paper and did collage with another photo print of mine with the eyes. Then, I re-photographed it and printed from the negative in the darkroom again. The double process. It was at the beginning of my serious photography career.
*There are Chaos I, II, and III. The original gelatin silver print (16×20 inch). Chaos #1 is on the view at W83 gallery from May 2 to June 8, 2025.
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Shuttered
Unique Vintage gelatin silver print
1/1 Unique (Variation 3 of 5) , 2005, 8×10 (10.5 x 12 in with frame)
This was the expression, looking back, revisiting my emotion, and comteplating my situation of 5 years ealier when I was almost destroyed. The location of photo shooting was my grandparents’ house where I grew up until an innocent and no-hardship-experienced 7 years old. When the house was about to demolish, I visited there and found an closet, which is Japanese style in my childhood room. The wall paper was deteriorated and torn overt the years. It looked terrible and sad, but at the same time it had something deep and profound. It inspired me. It somehow overwrapped with my life in that last few years. I was already healed from my loss and tragedies, but it reminded me of the days of hardships and how our human life can be over time. Unexpected things happens. Sometimes, out of the blue. When I was a child, I never ever imagined that I would have those unfortunate events or tragic things in my life. Yet, everything adds up to your abundant life. If you know how to handle these negative things or know how to process over the course of time, you can still be grateful. I was/am grateful. I didn’t want shattered me, or shattered mind with me forever. And now I even feel appreciative for all the experiences I had to go through.
* Unique print “Shuttered” (variation of 3/5) is is on the view at W83 gallery from May 2 to June 8, 2025.
Portraits from T.M.A.P.
from FAUTUS/T.M.A.P. series
T.M.A.P. #3 Agony
from FAUTUS/T.M.A.P. series
T.M.A.P. #7 Acceptance
from FAUTUS/T.M.A.P.
T.M.A.P. # coming later
from FAUTUS/T.M.A.P.
T.M.A.P. # coming later
THEY MIGHT AMPUTATE MY PINKIE (T.M.A.P)
Photographic self-portraits by Misako OBA
The series was First Exhibited at Photo San Francisco, July 21-23, 2006. (And some works at Photo LA, 2008, AIPAD show in New York City in later years, at the gallery in New York State University in 2010, Published in the fine art photography book Gift of Loss, 2011 and FAUSTUS, 2014 in Japan (text English and Japanese)
*T.M.A.P #7 and Rêve et Réalité #105e (below) are included in the solo show In and Out of the Blue, May 2-June 8, 2025 at W83 Gallery (150 W83 street, New York, NY)
“Misako Oba, a Japanese-born artist now living in New York, has been making photographic self-portraits annually since 1995. But these have never been shown – she is instead known for her series “El Camino” and “Fireflies,” extensive views of cities such as Tokyo, Paris and New York that treat these places in a mysterious, partly abstract, manner.
In 2006 Misako was discovered to have the extremely rare disease AVM in the pinkie of her right hand. The present series of self-portraits deals with this condition, medically and psychologically. The portraits were taken in a period when she had to deal with conflicting medical advice, including the possibility of amputation to prevent further damage.
Misako’s photographs have always dealt with her emotional response to an environment. This series, “They Might Amputate my Pinkie,” now deals with the emotional turmoil of a medical mystery, registering a gamut of reactions from despair, confusion, anger, fear and frustration, to emotions more difficult to convey photographically – defiance, acceptance and even thankfulness. Misako has said, “A sense of appreciation has come to me, that I have had all my fingers up to now. And, so far, it might be JUST the loss of a pinkie.”
Three months after completing the series, her pinkie was amputated.
Gary Edwards
Gary Edwards Gallery
Washington, D.C./New York
(c) 2006“
Portraits of my…… (red thing) -Do you know what they are?
from FAUTUS/PACTUM
Rêve et Réalité #101e
from FAUTUS/PACTUM
Rêve et Réalité #105e
The title “Rêve et Réalité” means Dream and Reality. These are blood coagulation. When I had a spontaneous bleeding several times a month from my right pinky out of the blue in 2006, I left the blood drops on the white table in my studio in New York City. A few hours later, found these leaves-like coagulation, which were so rare, impressive and beautiful. I felt excited in the middle of unexpected medical ordeal, I photographed them with micro lens and tripod. I sometimes even used lighting units to photograph them. Later on, I decide to print them and made collage combining the inages on wood panels and covered with encaustic. Rêve et Réalité has 6 pieces of them. The series is a part of FAUSTUS project.
Misako OBA 