next exhibition： current exhibition： Masato KOBAYASHI "Starry Paint” Masato KOBAYASHI Unnamed 2004 (#11) 2004, oil, canvas, wood   September. 4, Saturday – October. 16, Saturday, 2004 Closed on Mon., Sun. and National holidays SHUGOARTS presents "Starry Paint", new works by Masato Kobayashi. The artist was born in Tokyo in 1957, and graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts in 1984. He moved to Gent, Belgium in 1996, and he has been living and working there since then. He had a solo show at Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent (S.M.A.K.) under Jan Hoet's curation. In this autumn, he is going to have a solo show at Tensta Konsthall that draws keen attention for its renewal by three young directors in Stockholm. Kobayashi never uses brush to paint.Instead, he paints in a unique style by using his hands as if he rubs paints into a canvas while he stretches it on a wood frame. Kobayashi says, "It is too late to start painting if I stand in front of a blank white canvas. It should have been already painted when it was stretched on a frame." We may say that the artist detached himself from modernism painting context, and is looking for a possibility of (Pictorial) Art itself, which is consisted of paint, canvas, and wood frame. This solo show is going to be consisted from a series of nude paintings called "Starry Paint", that he has started working on last year. Although it looks as if a painting of a naked blonde, Kobayashi tries to express mysterious power of existence of life that counters gravitation force and raises the light of paints (colors) from the ground (floor) by placing the art work on the floor, symbolically fixing paint tubes on the canvas and conjugating each element together. It is logic and very romantic at the same time... When we stand in front of his art works, we are lost in admiration, and surrounded by radiation of color and light. It is because Kobayashi wants to gaze at pure existence that is beyond materiality. As if looking at stars at night. STARRY PAINT I am going to present nude paintings with this solo show.　Of course, I didn't paint a blonde model lying down with her hair ruffling. I wanted to paint a nude that was born from starlight. Twinkling little particle of lights, inerratic stars. But each particle has an unknown energy. Stars have mysterious power that is enough to generate life. Star -> Glowing and growing life Paint tube -> Give life to painting Artist -> Transformation Energy of a star and energy of a tube are probably equal. Let's say, artists transform the energy.Horizontally long canvas on the floor. Paint tubes lead the "↓downward gravity" that effects on the materials to ↑upward with light. For making the nude to appear there. I mean, an existence with certain energy = Star, and certain life can exist on the moment when it is filled and shining with energy. Therefore, paint tubes are essential for each painting. Without the tube, the paintings don't exist. Because nude won't pulse without the same amount of energy as stars. Masato Kobayashi Masato Kobayashi is almost treated as a legendary artist, and his art works are extremely radical. The world of his art works has the appealing energy to viewers that can crossover nation borders and categories. Please come around and enjoy Kobayashi's solo show with new works, which is a first time in three years in Japan. artist's page back to exhibitions Copyright 2003 SHUGOARTS. All rights reserved. contact: SHUGOARTS info@shugoarts.com SHUGOARTS website since2003 designed by Kaori Hoya, Created by Kaneko Osamu