SEIZAN Gallery is pleased to present Kaz Watabe: Stray, on view from January 8 through February 7, 2026. The artist’s second solo exhibition in New York will feature twenty-four oil paintings newly created for the show.

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Following his last solo exhibition in 2022, Watabe continues to depict imaginary figures drifting through dreamlike landscapes. Meticulously painted in muted tones, each canvas unfolds like a scene lifted from a fantasy film or role-playing game, populated by whimsical characters and anthropomorphic animals. The works are at once strange and yet intimately familiar, offering a quiet sense of comfort to the viewer.

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The recurring protagonist—a boy concealing his head beneath a bucket or hoodie—is often depicted in solitude, or in tense encounters with enigmatic, monumental figures constructed from industrial waste. These images evoke a profound sense of loneliness and an inability to fully comprehend the differences between individuals, while simultaneously expressing a deep yearning for connection and communication with others.

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One of the central works in the exhibition is Crowded (2025), which depicts one of Watabe’s recurring figures, the Sheep-Human. Originally inspired by the enigmatic Sheep Man from A Wild Sheep Chase (1982) by Haruki Murakami, Watabe’s interpretation transforms the character into a child-faced figure clad in a fluffy sheep costume. The Sheep-Human appears either as a companion to the protagonist or as an autonomous presence, quietly carrying the narrative forward.

In Crowded, a group of identical Sheep-Humans is densely packed across the canvas, each bearing a questioning expression, seemingly unaware of the situation they inhabit. “They are packed closely together, but each has something they cannot share,” Watabe notes. The work poignantly captures the paradox of contemporary existence—physical proximity without emotional communion—underscoring the quiet isolation that persists even in moments of togetherness.

While acknowledging the influence of figures such as Yoshitomo Nara and filmmaker Shunji Iwai in the earlier stages of his career, Kaz Watabe has steadily developed a distinctive pictorial language in oil paint. His work gives rise to a compelling cast of characters that unfold narrative worlds resonating deeply with contemporary viewers.

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Kaz Watabe (b. 1975, Chiba, Japan) studied oil painting at Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts. SEIZAN Gallery has hosted his solo exhibitions since 2011, and his works have been featured in numerous group exhibitions. He lives and works in Chiba, Japan.