MASAKAZU KOBAYASHI Born 1944

Both Masakazu and Naomi Kobayashi are established and acclaimed artists in their own right, who have recently chosen to exhibit together, giving joint expression to their common philosophy. The work is created separately and then brought together as a conscious, collaborative act. Their installation for the exhibition contains several distinct but related units. Masakazu Kobayashi’s ‘Gate of Bow’ and ‘Pond of Bow’ are made up of many tensile ‘bows’ which are created by coiling thread on a fine aluminium shaft. The distribution of these bows is deliberately random within the parameters of the piece reflecting a delicate balance between order and chaos. Beyond these dense and overlaid structures of Masakazu Kobayashi we look to Naomi Kobayashi’s white circle. Made from twisted paper thread and Washi (Japanese paper) it both contains light and allows light to pass through creating a sense of stillness. On the wall are five woven pieces by Naomi Kobayashi made from her paintings which have been torn into strips and woven. The act of weaving causes the image to move slightly giving the undulating flow across the five works. Also by Naomi Kobayashi are three Perspex boxes containing works woven from Buddhist texts written on handmade paper by her mother, and two boxes made from cotton and paper.

Studied

  • Kyoto University of Arts 1963-66

Current Teaching Status

  • Professor, Okayama Prefectural University

Awards

  • 1975 2nd International Textile Triennale, Lodz, Poland - Ministry of Culture & Art Prize
  • 1978 1st Enba Exhibition Japan - National Museum of Modern Art prize
  • 1987 International Textile Competition Kyoto - Outstanding Award
  • 1991 1st Takashimaya Culture Foundation Japan - New Artist Award
  • 1994 4th International Textile Competition Kyoto - Excellence Award
  • 1996 6th Kyoto Art Festival - Gold Medal

Recent Exhibitions Include:

Solo

  • 1996 Norrie Gallery Tokyo
  • 1999 'One Man Show' Gallery
  • 99/00, Okayama

    Group

  • 1995 Sheila Hicks joined by Seven Friends and Colleagues from Japan The Brown/Grotta Gallery, CT USA
  • Soft Sculpture, Dongah Art Gallery, Seoul, Korea
  • Japanese Studio Crafts: Tradition & The Avant-Garde, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
  • 1996 Japanese Design 1950-95 Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France & Suntory Museum, Osaka
  • Textile Magicians in Japan, Passage de Retz, Paris France
  • Textile of Japan, Meguro Prefecture Museum, Tokyo
  • Textile Wizard from Japan, The Israel Museum, Israel
  • 1997 Fibre Art in the 90's, New Jersey Centre for Visual Arts, NJ, USA
  • The 10th Wave: A Celebration, The Brown/Grotta Gallery CT. USA
  • Light, wind, water, concrete and textile, Nariwa Museum, Okayama
  • 1998 Imaginations '98' Gastuiskapel, Poperinge, Belgium
  • Folding' Japanese Miniatures Canberra Museum Australia
  • SOFA In New York & Chicago
  • Tradition Transformed, The Brown/Grotta Gallery USA
  • Oriented Textile, William Lipton Ltd. New York USA
  • 1999 6th International Textile Competition, Kyoto
  • SOFA New York
  • 70 Designers in Tribute to Issika Gaon, the Israel Museum, Israel
  • 2000 Sound from Cosmos-2000, Gunma Museum of Modern Art, Gunma
  • Form of Fuki, Gallery Maronie Kyoto
  • Also 1977, 79, 92 Biennale Internationale de la Tapisserie, Lausanne, Switzerland

Public Collection

  • Lausanne City, Cwitzerland, Central Museum of Textile, Lodz, Poland
  • The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
  • Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, USA
  • Museum of Modern Art, Gunma
  • The National Museum of Art, Osaka
  • Kyoto City Museum of Art
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, London UK
  • The Israel Museum, Israel

Category of work

  • Installation

Materials

  • Silk, Aluminium [top]

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