English
Azusa Kobayashi
1988 Born in Yokohama City, Japan

Education
2013 Graduate Tokyo University of the Art's department of inter media art. (B.A.)
  Entered Tokyo University of the Arts' Oil Painting Master's Course.

Awards
2014 Award of excellence in "TURNER AWARD"(TURNER COLOR WORKS LTD) (Tokyo)
2013 Accepted in "D Art Biennale"(The Hori Sciences & Arts Foundation) (Nagoya)
  Grand prize "Geidai Art plaza Awards 2013"(Tokyo University of the Arts)
2012 Accepted in "Tokyo Wonder Wall 2012"(Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)
  Accepted in "Wonder seeds 2012"(Tokyo Wonder site Shibuya)
2010 Accepted in "via art 2010"(Shinwa Art Museum) (Tokyo)
  Accepted in "Wonder seeds 2010"(Tokyo Wonder site Shibuya)

Statement

In my work , I use paintings and installations as if they were words. 
The different motifs within my work correspond to very specific vocabulary inside a personal visual language. 
The works are laid out in a way that aims to match the syntax of a writing.
I exist by means of my brush.
With my art I aim to make what I like to call "retinal storytelling". *


In order to make images of that which I've never seen, I play around with everyday objects on top of my desk.The way I see It , I take known elements and put them together to build traps in which I catch the unknown.

 

In the end, I could define what I do with my art as hunting.
That idea also matches a major theme inside the work, which is animal life.
I am fascinated by the duality I see in animals possessing the ability to coexist in complex social patterns,
and at the same time being capable of completely irrational and unpredictable behavior. 

 

*"retinal storytelling" is a self-made term.


Exhibitions
2014 solo exhibition "Twist a rope together", Gallery Barco, Tokyo, Japan
  solo exhibition "Movement toward a fountain", B-gallery, Tokyo, Japan
  Full bloom 2014, GalleryQ, Tokyo, Japan
  TURNER AWARD, TURNER COLOR WORKS LTD, Tokyo, Japan
  ART APART FAIR, PARK ROYAL on pickering, Singapore
2013 TWS-EMERGING201, solo exhibition, "Welcome to Honeycomb utopia"
  Tokyo Wonder site Hongou, Tokyo, Japan
  "Geidai Art plaza Awards 2013", Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan
  "D Art Biennale", The Hori Sciences & Arts Foundation, Nagoya, Japan
  "The 61th Graduation Works Exhibition", Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
  "The 4th LaLaport Office Art Exhibition", LaLaport management Co.Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
2012 "Tokyo Wonder Wall 2012", Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Japan
  "Wonder seeds 2012", Tokyo Wonder site Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
  "Proof of the material", GALLERYKINGYO, Tokyo, Japan
  "The big seeding", Art space rashinban, Tokyo, Japan
2011 solo exhibition, "trap or landing", GALLERYb.TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan
  solo exhibition, "drawing lab", op.302, Tokyo, Japan
2010 "via art 2010", Shinwa Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
  "Wonder seeds 2010", Tokyo Wonder site Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
2009 "Toride Art Project", toride city, Japan
  "Kiryu saien 15", Kiryu city, Japan
2008 "Ittenten", Tokyo University of the Arts, toride city, Japan
2007 "Artpath", Tokyo University of the Arts, toride city, Japan