Pierre Marie Giraud is pleased to present a solo exhibition of works by Japanese artist Yoichi Ohira (1946 – 2022), on view at the gallery from Wednesday 22 April 2026 to Saturday 16 May 2026. Bringing together a selection of works spanning several periods, the exhibition offers an insight into Ohira’s approach to glass.

Born in Tokyo in 1946, Ohira developed his practice between Japan and Italy. After his studies at the Kuwasawa Design School, he moved to Venice in 1973, where he trained at the Accademia di Belle Arti and began a long collaboration with Murano glassmakers. Over the course of his career, he established a distinctive position, working closely with master artisans to realise precisely conceived designs.

Ohira’s work centres on glass vessels whose appearance challenges conventional expectations of the material. Although made of glass, his objects often evoke the qualities of stone, ivory, or mineral surfaces, combining opacity and translucency in subtle ways. Drawing on both Venetian techniques and Japanese aesthetics, he developed a visual language informed by natural forms such as lichen, water, or polished rock.

Rather than emphasising gesture or spontaneity, Ohira worked from carefully executed drawings, translating them into objects through close collaboration with Murano craftsmen. His practice remained deliberately independent from stylistic movements, focusing instead on the controlled transformation of material and the precision of surface.

Throughout more than four decades, Ohira’s work was exhibited internationally and entered major public and private collections, including institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His contribution to contemporary glass lies in his ability to reconcile different traditions, bringing together the technical refinement of Venetian glass with a more restrained, materially driven sensibility.

The exhibition will present a selection of works that reflect this trajectory, highlighting the consistency of Ohira’s approach across time. Together, the works on view trace a practice grounded in material knowledge and sustained attention to surface, form, and perception.

We invite you to join us for the opening on Wednesday 22 April 2026, from 5 to 8 pm.