We’re all familiar with the struggle to look our best, both to please ourselves and to gain recognition from the people around us. Japanese artist Naomi Okubo exquisitely depicts the anxiety that can be caused by questions of appearance, identity and societal expectations in a series of bright-hued artworks; her discussion of inner personal struggle presented in a seemingly pleasant manner is not without a sense of irony.

“In my adolescence, I feared what others thought about me. As a result, I was confused about how I should relate to others,” she says. “Through this experience, I showed multiple self-portraits in my works. The idea is that I could escape the fears that came from my relationship with others if all the people in the world were myself.”

Naomi Okubo’s solo exhibition is being held at A.Style until the end of July.

G/F 48 Tung St, Sheung Wan; .
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11am – 7pm; Sunday 12pm – 6pm.

By: Nikey Cheng

Lead Image: THIS IS NOT MY LIFE#2 (2016) | by Naomi Okubo