The Shape of Our Butts, The Shape of Our Souls

Perrotin is presenting THE SHAPE OF OUR BUTTS, THE SHAPE OF OUR SOULS, the eighth solo exhibition by Japanese artist Shigeru Otani, known as Otani Workshop. Open from June 11 to July 25, 2026, at the gallery's avenue Matignon space in Paris, the show features elemental paintings and sculptures that probe the enigmatic, anxious world of childhood. Influenced deeply by Alberto Giacometti, Otani Workshop explores timeless, primordial forms akin to ancient idols. His round, wide-eyed figures carry an uncanny aura—simultaneously familiar and frightening—evoking porcelain dolls, manga characters, and spiritual talismans.

Working primarily with historic Shigaraki clay, alongside bronze and canvas, the artist utilizes muted tones to craft raw, unblemished faces that serve as a psychological coping mechanism against contemporary anxieties. For Otani Workshop, who was discovered and championed by Takashi Murakami, creating art functions as a vital act of exorcism to ward off historical and personal tragedies. Ultimately, the exhibition strips away individual physical markings to reveal a state of bare childhood innocence, offering viewers a space where the subtle, the strange, and the deeply human coexist in delicate balance.