YUKI KOBAYASHI
Documentation and Interview by the residency program of CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) 2024
In collaboration with Ebenezer School and Home for the Visually Impaired, Africa Center Hong Kong
New Gender Bending Strawberry :
is the project aims to express the futuristic indistinguishable creature that is characterised as a similar visuality to be camouflaged in the society. Kobayashi represents mixed media installation which is integrated with the performance to reflect on the earthly condition and reveal the ironic situation to have both freedom and equality as well as how the world will conceive the future between the brightness of utopia and the apocalyptic death of humanity. The equality that people demand is represented by red and silver sculptures being synchronised as a figure, the freedom is represented by objectified with the performance. The investigation of fairness and privilege of people were represented by Kobayashi’s creation of human existentialism as NGBS since 2012.
Stranger in the Fruit :
is progressed work from New Gender Bending Strawberry. It is inspired by "Strange Fruit" is a song recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939, written by Abel Meeropol. Since Kobayashi has been seeking of the racial stereotypes, he felt a contradiction in categorising his identity in the performance. looking for the way to taking off a head piece, he met the song "Strange Fruit" that is protests the lynching of Black Americans, with lyrics that compare the victims to the fruit of trees. As they both uses fruit as a metaphor, Kobayashi reconsider what is being something else in this preset era through a metaphor of fruit that was represented by a victim of racial discrimination and violence.
Costume design : Kota Gushiken
Exhibition details :
アジテイション：攪拌のポートレイト
Date：2020年11月6日(金)～11月29日(日)
Opening Event：11月6日(金)19:00-21:00
小林勇輝ライブパフォーマンス 19:30-20:00
企画：平澤賢治、石橋征子
主催：コートヤードHIROO
参加アーティスト：
CIBELLE CAVALLI BASTOS、NEIL HAAS KENJI HIRASAWA、MOTOKO ISHIBASHI、KODAMA KANAZAWA、YUKI KOBAYASHI、VICTORIA SIN
Factory of Universe :
is never-completing installation by integrating with multimedia works in cooperation with New Gender Bending Strawberry since 2014. It is a place for developing his idea of creating a unidentified being to unify non-racial community and sexual fairness to spend time on the same space to feel the love equally from a silver skin, hairy red head.
Materials :
Paints, Canvas, Fabric (Silk, Fur), Masking tape
 |  |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |
"Factory of Universe", "Maybe I am a Strawberry" at the group exhibition of CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) 5th Anniversary show "Factory of Tomorrow" in Hong Kong / Mixed Media Installation / 2024
In collaboration with Ebenezer School and Home for the Visually Impaired, Africa Center Hong Kong
"New Gender Bending Strawberry" at the group exhibition "Where is a place for us?" in the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts / Mixed Media Installation / 2021
Stranger in the Fruit / Photography, Performance / 2020
"Stranger in the Fruit" Full Video Documentation : 25:51 minutes
Video trailer : 1:27 minutes
 |  |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
|---|
New Gender Bending Strawberry (NGBS) from the trailer of Yokohama Paratriennale 2017 / Performance / 2017
Photo credits : Mito Ikeda
 |  |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |
"Fairy of the cedar" at Yokohama Paratriennale 2017 in collaboration with Atelier Cedar HINOKI / Performance, Mixed Media / 2017
Photo credits : Ayumi Kobayashi
 |  |
|---|---|
 |  |
New Gender Bending Strawberry (NGBS) at Slick Art Fair 2015, Paris / Performance, Mixed Media / 2015
 |  |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |  |
 |
"Mr/Miss Universe of the strawberry" at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design / Performance, Video / 2014
New Gender Bending Strawberry (NGBS) at the degree show in Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, UK / Performance, Mixed Media / 2014
"Speech" at “II THREE FOUR” EPISODIC, DURATIONAL and ROAMING, 1 Granary Square, London / Performance, Video / 2013
"Maybe I am a strawberry", London / Performance, Video / 2012