Junko Oki

Junko Oki engraves stories of life onto textiles, with each stitch placed meticulously by hand. Without the guide of an underdrawing, she creates unique motifs and patterns by freehand stitching and by rejecting the structured tradition of embroidery. Although her works display seemingly rudimentary techniques, the artist’s instinctive approach awakens a visceral reaction in viewers. Through her unique embroidery and careful attention, Junko Oki breathes new life into aged textiles, frames, and other objects. These objects, with years of stories already embedded into them, are revived by Oki’s hand through a series of attentive stitches. They include everything that came into being, and chronologies that once existed but are now gone. At the core of Oki’s creative process is a discovery of new horizons through layered impressions of time.

Junko Oki was born in Urawa City, Japan, in 1963, and is currently based in Kamakura. Oki’s major solo exhibitions include “Moon and chrysalis” (Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, 2017), “anthology” (Hagi Uragami Museum, Yamaguchi, 2020), and “OKI Junko: The Exposed” (The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura Annex, 2022). Her works were also featured in group exhibitions such as “Yamagata Biennale 2018” (Bunshokan, Yamagata, 2018), “GO FOR KOGEI 2021” (Natadera Temple, Ishikawa, 2021), “FUJI TEXTILE WEEK” (Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi, 2023), “Imaginal Crafts” (National Crafts Museum, Ishikawa, 2024), “Aichi Triennale 2025” (Mufuuan, Aichi, 2025), and “Roppongi Crossing 2025: What Passes Is Time. We Are Eternal.” (Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2025). Her book “PUNK” was published by Bungei Shunju in 2014. Oki’s work has been acquired by the Urawa Art Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Crafts Museum, and BY ART MATTERS.