Maiko Kobayashi

HOME

19 April - 18 May, 2024

AISHONANZUKA is honoured to announce “HOME”, a solo exhibition in Hong Kong by Japanese artist Maiko Kobayashi at our art space at LANDMARK Atrium. The show is on view from 19 April to 18 May, 2024.

“The more I get to know things in the world, the more often I feel helpless. But when I discover that human beings have that essential vitality that will never be lost under any circumstances, my heart fills with courage and hope. The ‘friction’ caused by this contradictory sensation is my motivation to paint.”

Kobayashi often paints dog or bunny-like creatures with soft features, clearly referred and inspired by real people that crossed the artist's path— and on the connections occurring between them and the empathy generated in their creator. Whimsical and cryptic at first glance, their eyes are always watching and ruminating what is happening in our world, with an omnipresent melancholy and deep, tense expression. These are said to express the conflicts, anxieties, hopes, and vitality of people living in the changing times and society.

Kobayashi’s paintings invites viewers to have a glimpse of the artist's inner world, also a meditative processing itself. You might not be able to absorb all the senses flooding through her work at first glance, and the comprehension could differ from each person. Sometimes her creatures are all recorded in a sobbing impression, but it could also be a state when the sadness has just passed. Viewers might feel empty when they look at Kobayashi's paintings at first glance, but then one would feel the peacefulness seething through after a long stare.

AISHONANZUKA 榮幸地宣布日本藝術家小林麻衣子在香港舉辦個展「家」。 展覽將於2024年4月19日至5月18日假置地廣場舉行。

「我越瞭解世界上的事情，我就越經常感到無助。 但是，當我發現人類擁有在任何情況下都不會失去的基本活力時，我的心充滿了勇氣和希望。 這種矛盾造成的“摩擦”是我畫畫的動機。」

小林畫作中的主角有著溫婉的五官以及近乎幽靈般的表情，這些半人半兔/狗的角色明顯受藝術家現實生活中的人物啟發。他們彷彿受到無形力量的威脅，亦可以隨風消逝。他們的眼睛總是在靜觀這個紛亂的世界，眼神滲透著揮之不去的憂鬱。 這些表達了世人生活在這多變的社會中內心潛藏的焦慮、衝突、希望和力量。

小林的畫作不但是一窺她內心世界的一扇窗，同時也是觀眾發洩個人情緒的出口。小林的畫作能鑽進觀者內心深處，非得面對自己的脆弱，與作品中的主角來一場感性對話，一起面對世界的荒謬。觀者驟眼看小林的畫作可能會感到悲涼，但看穿愁眉苦臉背後會發現鬱悶過去就是平靜—小林深信人類有足夠的韌性去面對困厄。