The artwork features a bold, abstract composition dominated by shades of vibrant teal and turquoise. The canvas is filled with dynamic, gestural brushstrokes that create a sense of depth and movement. While the subject matter is not immediately recognizable, the overall impression is one of energy and organic forms. The artist's technique appears to favor spontaneous, expressionistic applications of paint, showcasing a distinctive style that likely reflects their personal artistic vision and unique interpretation of the subject. ...
Yu Kobayashi creates paintings and sculptures that emerge from daily life and the rhythms of the natural world. Drawing inspiration from routines such as gardening, fishing, surfing, and swimming, she often works outdoors or directly on the ground, allowing sunlight, wind, and sand to become collaborators in her creative process. Her mark-making—calligraphic, gestural, and intuitive—records the physical and sensory experiences of seaside living while reflecting influences from her travels across Africa and Europe. Kobayashi’s work is rooted in the philosophy of bodily awareness, where each gesture and form embodies movement, perception, and feeling. Her pieces resonate with the energy of human experience, translating the vitality of life into material forms. There is a palpable sense of sincerity, presence, and strength in her art, capturing the essence of being fully alive. Through her work, viewers are invited to reconnect with their own bodily perception, sensing the energy and awareness that underpin thought, feeling, and creativity. Her art becomes a bridge between the inner life and the external world, emphasizing the inseparable relationship between body, mind, and environment. ...
Various Small Fires (Los Angeles /Dallas /Seoul) began as a series of conversations with artists and curators in Esther Kim Varet’s Venice Beach kitchen while working on her doctoral dissertation. VSF debuted in Hollywood as an official gallery in 2015 with a roster of artists and its current Johnston MarkLee Architects-designed building. The Hollywood gallery contains three exhibition spaces, a unique sound corridor, and an outdoor gallery. VSF’s exhibition program explores several curatorial lines: climate, equality, and an international conversation. The gallery is known for offering artists debut shows, creating intergenerational conversations among the artists on its roster, and solidifying artists’ legacies within art history. In 2019, VSF opened a second location in the Hannam neighbourhood of Seoul, South Korea, followed recently this Spring by VSFs third outpost in Dallas, Texas. While Varet has very personal connections to both locations, they are also superlative art communities. These expansions emphasise the gallery’s commitment to innovation and global dialogue in the twenty-first century. In 2021, VSF became a member of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA). ...
