ShugoArts

Paint of this Planet — Duifhuisstraat 52, the second volume of the autobiographical novel trilogy written by Masato Kobayashi, was published in October, 2020. In the first volume of the trilogy, released in 2018, Masato Kobayashi's fateful encounter with "Sensei" (a high school teacher who later became Kobayashi's muse/spring of inspiration) leads him into the world of painting in this inspirational story during which the artist matures through his painting. In the second volume, the author leaves his studio in Japan and embarks on a dazzling pictorial adventure. The year is 1996, and in this volume, considered a masterpiece, the author’s youth is illustrated as he travels around the international art scene and establishes his original painting style in which he is stretching canvas and painting simultaneously.

On this occasion, ShugoArts presents a part of Kobayashi's theory of painting from the novel, as well as a special movie of his large-scale works Unnamed #6 and Unnamed #10, which were created in Ghent in 1998 but many have not had a chance to see them in Japan.

Special Movie  [duration 5:18]

Exhibition info

Masato KOBAYASHI
Works and bio
Library
Artist's website

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART TOKYO website>>

Onomichi City Museum of Art >>

Masato KOBAYASHI Works and Information >>
Masato KOBAYASHI Library >>

Installation View >>
List of works >>

Press Release PDF >>

Masato KOBAYASHI
CV >>
Works and Information >>
Library >>
Artist's website >>

The National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo Website >>

MOT Website >>

Yokosuka museum of art　website >>

Aki KONDO, Landlady and Landlord, pastel crayon, ballpoint pen on envelope, set of 2, 34.3x23.5cm each
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FACE AND ABSTRACTION Website >>

Curation：Masaya CHIBA
Text：Jitsuzo TAKEDA

＜Opening Party with four artists＞
May 25 fri, from 6pm to 9pm
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List of Works>>
Installation view >>
Text by Takeda Jitsuzo>>

10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 8 p.m. on Fridays
(Admission until 30 minutes before closing time)

Closed
Tuesday, October 10; Monday, October 16; Monday, October 23; Monday, October 30; Monday, November 6; Monday, November 13; Monday, November 20
The Shoto Museum of Art website >>
Masato KOBAYASHI>>

Sezon Museum of Modern Art website >>

Thrice Upon a Time

Beautiful light fills us with visceral pleasure, but something that looks like shit can also give us pleasure.

'Cause as we all know, beauty isn't just about the external qualities of a thing or a person. A lot of times the fact that a certain quality is contained in something or someone that looks like shit makes it even more beautiful. That goes for Duchamp's urinal, Warhol, van Gogh, Caravaggio, and Murakami. Because art isn't about something being better or worse.

That's why there's such a fine line. My utopia is always right there next to the border. Bad paintings are made by outlaws! I think of the paintings in Love, More Awful! But More Beautiful, Because Painting Is All for Love as a family of the planet. Like a family, they live together in a jumble – they're hanging on the wall, they're resting on the floor, there are angels, skies, apples, nudes, and abstract paintings…fragments of stars…family…it's a family of paintings! It's a family of this planet on the border of beauty and shit. And there are some horses out there on the plain. Laughter.

Once upon a time, twice upon a time, thrice upon a time… there was a cowboy and a cowgirl.

Kobayashi Masato,
Tomonoura Studio, August 2016