ZHONG CHENG

Maiko Kobayashi is a Japanese artist born in 1977 in Yokohama. She graduated from Musashino Art University in 1998, majoring in scenography and exhibition design. In 2008, she earned her master's degree from the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Northumbria University in the UK, and her graduate work was subsequently acquired by the university. During her time in the UK, Maiko Kobayashi began drawing her first creature in newspapers, and these early works still hang in her studio. This fictional character, resembling a mix between a puppy and a rabbit, became an important medium for her to practice self-expression and convey complex emotions to viewers. She provides a fantasy space as a refuge from the harsh realities of society, reflecting a common phenomenon among the younger generation in Japan known as Hikikomori, or social withdrawal.

To explore the potential for her artwork to resonate with people, Maiko Kobayashi delves into the lines and expressions on the faces she paints. She has a unique painting technique: first, she applies a layer of plaster and acrylic as a base, then she draws with charcoal and blends it by hand. She then uses a monochrome background and repeats the drawing process until the main character emerges from the canvas, as if being born from within. The soft and fragmented textures she gives to her characters create a sense of realism, allowing us to understand the artist's experiments with life and emotions despite not depicting human figures. In her own unique and introspective way, Maiko Kobayashi embodies aspects of humanity.

Maiko Kobayashi's exhibition history includes "Living in the City" (Roppongi Shincho A/D Gallery, Tokyo, 2016), "Dear Art" (Wada Gallery, Tokyo, 2017), "Cute Philosophy" (Shun Gallery, Shanghai, 2018), "Relatively Cute" (Zero Space, Beijing, 2018), "Don't Look at Me!" (Pierre-Yves Caër Gallery, Paris, 2019), and "The Power of Life" (Shun Gallery, Tokyo, 2020), among others.