Art meets furniture in Minamisemba. Arflex Osaka, the Osaka showroom of the furniture brand Arflex in Chuo-ku, will hold “Back to Back,” a solo exhibition by painter Tomo Ando, from Thursday, November 12 to Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Admission is free.
Earlier sketches become oil “landscapes”
The exhibition centers on oil paintings of “landscapes” that start from sketches the artist drew some time ago. The title “Back to Back” reflects the artist’s interest in how something drawn can become a landscape once more.
Ando paints the fresh feel of everyday life in wavering lines and color. The works, wrapped in soft light, are said to give the space a pleasant sense of openness, and the gentle, warm outlook that seems to cherish passing days runs through the whole show.
The artist’s words: “I keep being drawn to much the same things”
In a message for the show, the artist looks back on their working days: tracing outlines, drawing something so that it becomes a landscape again, collecting the charm points found through drawing. They had thought their interests kept changing, but it may be that they have been drawn to much the same things all along. Things found through painting, though not actively sought, lead on to the next work while still vague, and the artist hopes for that.
The works include the oil-on-canvas series “Landscape,” including pieces made in 2026 and 2025, in a range of sizes and color schemes.
About Tomo Ando
Tomo Ando was born in Osaka Prefecture and lives in Tokyo. They graduated from the Mixed Media course of the advanced studies program at Kyoto Saga University of Arts Junior College and completed a research fellowship at its affiliated Institute of Art and Culture. Working in oil and drawing, Ando shows work regularly in exhibitions and has recently expanded into illustration, including book cover art. Publications include “FANCY♡,” “Rinkaku wo Nazoru,” “Tomo Ando Works” and “DOG DOG DOG DOG.”
The “LIFE with ART project”
The show is part of the “LIFE with ART project,” which proposes a comfortable relationship between art and interiors. Arflex has run it since 2017 with noie.cc (Noie Curation & Creation), which is also a picture-framing shop, holding exhibition-and-sale events of art in many genres and styles. This exhibition is curated by noie.cc.
Exhibition details
- Exhibition: Tomo Ando Solo Exhibition “Back to Back”
- Dates: Thursday, November 12 – Tuesday, December 1, 2026 (closed Wednesdays and national holidays)
- Hours: 11:00–18:00
- Venue: Arflex Osaka (6F, 4-2-11 Minamisemba, Chuo-ku, Osaka)
- Phone: 06-6258-8822
- Admission: free
- Exhibition page (Japanese): https://www.arflex.co.jp/topics/1108_ando
- Arflex website (Japanese): https://www.arflex.co.jp/
