The Beauty of Transience
In a Mirror by Minami Kobayashi
This month, I spoke with Japanese artist Minami Kobayashi. Her ethereal paintings depict fleeting moments between ordinary people, animals, and places. Scroll down for more 💅
Addy: Minami, thank you so much for joining me! What first inspired you to start painting?
In a mirror by Minami Kobayashi
Minami: Thanks for having me. Most of my paintings are about my daily thoughts and events. As I encounter precious and memorable moments unexpectedly, I don’t think I’m ever satisfied with telling stories using language, as it doesn’t fully convey how I feel.
I often start fantasising about a scene from a made-up story, and I try to paint it. I have always been fascinated by train windows, and how they’re so interesting to look at. The scene can be mundane but one’s emotion and the situational environment are what make it special. All these moments are fleeting, and we will never experience them again, so I try to paint about it.
I was also influenced by my mom’s side of the family, who are monks. I love painting my internal feelings and fantasies into figurations and made-up colours. Everyone has special places that are boring to others, and I find that fascinating.
A boat across the canal by Minami Kobayashi
Addy: Totally, I love how you’re able to transform mundane scenes into something special. Your paintings explore transitory moments through depictions of ordinary people, what do you hope to communicate?
Night Ride on The Bohol Island by Minami Kobayashi
Minami: In Buddhism, Shogyo mujyo(諸行無常) means that everything is ephemeral. Nothing will remain unchanged, and it changes before you know it. I mostly paint people in their vulnerable state. People often present themselves as confident and strong, but they are at their most vulnerable or silly, when they are by themselves or with trusted ones. I get most creative when I’m feeling weak, emotional, or relaxed, and that is why the people and animals in my paintings are in a similar state.
Addy: Amazing, I had no idea. You create egg tempera and oil paintings, what is the inspiration behind this?
A cat, two women and a warm garden by Minami Kobayashi
Minami: I learned egg tempera when I was in grad school in Chicago. The paint is translucent and the colour is vivid, which makes me feel like I’m painting a ghost that is not there anymore. After I moved to London, I started to develop my own way of using oil like egg tempera by various ways of expression.
Addy: I love that. Describe your creative process.
Minami: I start by drawing very loose pencil drawings in a sketchbook, like I used to do when I was little. I then decide the composition and the idea of the work. My studio is my safe space, where I can be fully myself and no one can peek in. I try not to decide too precisely on an idea at this point, so that I will be very flesh and flexible when I am painting on canvas. It is scary to start painting without a solid plan but I believe it gives the painting life, and my sensation gets elevated.
Catching the wings by Minami Kobayashi
Addy: So intuitive! How has your style or approach to painting evolved over time?
Minami: My paintings are increasingly about places and people that I have passed by, and about my identity. I moved from my hometown when I was 18 to learn art, and then from my home country 8 years ago. I lived in Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo in Japan, Cebu island in the Philippines, Chicago, and New York in the US, and now in London.
A man and a winter garden by Minami Kobayashi
Whenever I change where I live, I felt my identity, and how people see me, change. It’s like the content stays the same but the outline keeps changing. Whenever I’ve left a place, I also feel like I’ve left myself. I paint landscapes because they are connected to my feeling at that time. It has always been very difficult to leave friends and family, so I often paint people who are lost in thought, which has been my interest since I was 18 years old.
Addy: Beautiful, you’ve experienced so many places. Which art movements do you draw inspiration from?
Minami: Les Nabis, Fauvism, Surrealism, and Japanese paintings and wood block prints in the Edo and the Meiji period.
Addy: I can definitely see elements of these movements in your work. What do you find the most challenging about creating art?
Minami: Talking about it can be the hardest part. When I talk about art, I likely make contradictions, and I feel discomfort. It doesn’t happen in the making, that part is great fun. I enjoy talking about art but it is challenging indeed. Words can hurt people in different ways from painting.
A Woman and The Brunches by Minami Kobayashi
Addy: So true. Have you ever painted something that you felt was completely outside of your comfort zone?
Minami: Yes, I have been trying that often. I want to feel freedom in my work so I try to expand my comfort zone and I often make mistakes but I love doing it.
Addy: Mistakes are an integral part of the creative process! Who or what are your biggest creative influences?
Waiting the wings to be rested by Minami Kobayashi
Minami: Leonor Fini, Pierre Bonnard, Kitagawa Utamaro, Utagawa Hiroshige, Uemura Shōen, and my friends.
Addy: Yes, I love Utagawa Hiroshige. Finally, what’s next for you?
Minami: I will be participating in a solo residency, Castle Caramel, in the south of France. I cannot wait to be inspired there! I will also be part of a duo show at Et al. Gallery in San Francisco in the winter.
Addy: Exciting! Lots of great things ahead. Okay, so at the end of interviews, I like to do something called a rapid fire round 🔥🔥 Here we go! Abstract or figurative?
Minami: Abstraction in Figuration.
Addy: Paintings or ceramics?
Minami: Western paintings and Eastern ceramics.
Addy: Introvert or extrovert?
Minami: Introversion in an extrovert person.
A Man in the Bed by Minami Kobayashi
Addy: Vintage or modern?
Minami: Vintage.
Addy: Minimalist or maximalist?
Minami: Maximalist.
Addy: Pen or pencil?
Minami: Pencil.
Addy: Pop or indie music?
Minami: Both. (we stan)
Addy: Rain or snow?
Minami: Rain.
Addy: Comedy or drama?
Minami: Comedy.
Addy: Last song you listened to?
Minami: Blissing Me by Bjork.
Addy: Bjork is so iconic. Minami, Thank you again for joining me! I loved learning more about your practice <3
For more from the brilliant Minami, check out her website here!