Toshiya Kobayashi / 小林俊哉

Eternity and a Day –Leaves– green painting
2008
30 cm in diameter
acrylic on wooden panel

Kobayashi’s primary artistic concept lies in his pursuit of ‘the new self’ through conversing with plants, a practice that he naturally acquired from his father, who used to cure sick trees. Kobayashi’s quest for ‘the new self’ via nature has allowed his works to encompass universal characteristics that can be shared by others.

In recent years, Kobayashi has based his artistic activity in Europe, predominantly exhibiting his works in various parts of Germany. In 2005, he went to live and work in Hamburg, Germany, for a year, selected by the Japanese Government’s fellowship program, Overseas Study Program for Artists. Kobayashi began his artistic activity in Europe in 2001. Since that time, his works have been shown at a total of thirty solo and group exhibitions held at museums and galleries, as well as at various art fairs. In 2007, he was the first Japanese artist to be selected in Hamburg’s public-art project, “Art in Public Space,” which has been held annually since 1982 (artists selected in the past for this project include Sol LeWitt, Richard Serra, Joseph Beuys, and Dan Graham). For his contribution, Kobayashi created a large-scale work 245 x 1200cm in size, which is now permanently exhibited inside the Hagenbecks Tierpark Station.

(Taeko Nanpei, Director, a piece of space APS, Tokyo)

Artist Statement

To say that somethins actually exists　– this simpiest face of “existence" goes beyondJust becoming a decisive obstacle “something that not yet appeared to appear".It has created a situation that decisively prevents “something" from appearing.The existence of a human being or the existence of the universe in only a partialExistence of a certain entirety,which comes into existence and is distinguished withinA limited time. Therefore, these existence are, in fact, merely existing within theinfinite(space) and the eternal(time).If the existence of the universe were to be considered one of the forms of existence, then“existence," when thought of in terms of infinity and eternity, should be thought as a“non-existence" that will not appear eternally. “Non-existence," in a true sense, is an“existence" connoting “the appearance of the infinite."