Yamashita & Kobayashi

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Major League Birdwatching
2012, HD video projection on baseball caps, stereo sound, tripod dimention variable, 9:30 min. C-print 40 x 30 cm
(left/installation view at Lombard Freid Projects, NY, right/production photo)

At the Yankee Stadium in New York, Yamashia and
Kobayashi did birdwatching.

Rubbing a Camel
2010, Video installation, Bronze, HD video 57x18x24 cm, 6:56 min.
(left/installation view at Künstlerhaus Bethanien, right/video still)

For this piece, Yamashita and Kobayashi created
a bronze statue of a camel that they then carried
with them as they traveled through Egypt, Spain,
Switzerland and Germany, rubbing its hump every day
for five months until it turned a shiny, golden color.

GOING MAINSTREAM
2010, 2 channel video installation, inflatable boat, 11.16min.
(installation view at Aichi Triennale 2010)

In this project Yamashita and Kobayashi attempted to accomplish the artists' and human desire to “go mainstream” in the wrong way. They challenged the world’s largest rivers (world’s mainstreams), Nile and Amazon, by a small inflatable boat.
Document of the two journeys that they rowed down approximately 30 km each.

telepathy
2009, video installation, 10 drawing sets, 21x29cm (each), 11.36 min.

After 17 years of living and working together, Yamashita and Kobayashi attempt to have a dialogue without words. They sent/received telepathy in turns for thousand times. And they made only 10 miraculous (or accidental) succeeded scenes among countless failures into a video work, and exhibited it together with the drawings.

Forest Dishes
2010, ceramics, DVD (slide show), dia.17-26cm, 3.30min.

This project was realized at Worpswede, north part of Germany. Dishes made of clay was left in the forest with food overnight before firing.
Footprints, scratches on the potteries and deforming the shape of them confirm the existence of wild animals that are active at night in the dark forest, that have not been watched.
Night photographs taken at a fixed time interval showed hedgehogs.

A Spoon Made From The Land
2009, video installation, iron spoon, HDV, 11:00 min.
(installation view at Takuro Someya Contemporary Art, Japan)

Yamashita and Kobayashi collectted iron sands with magnets on the Iioka Beach (Chiba, Japan), and casted a spoon.

Mr. Someya doing a Handspring
2009, video installation, concrete plate 180 x 360 x 5 cm, DVD 1.35 min.

The Japanese gallerist, Takuro Someya, does a front-handspring on a fresh concrete plate.

Lion & Canvas
2008, video installation, canvases 91x72cm, 72x60cm, 65x53cm, Blu-ray 41.18 min.

Five lions stood face to face with canvases.
In the beginning they were scared of and confused by the canvases, and gradually began to play with them.

Dogsled
2008, video installation, 23 radio control cars, fake fur, wheeled sled, DVD 5.23 min.

In snowy day at the Treptowerpark in Berlin, 23 radio-controlled toy cars, dressed in fake fur, pull Yamashita on a sled with wheels, like a dogsled until their batteries run out.

1000 WAVES
2007, HDV transferred to Blu-ray, 50:15 min., 16:9

This project has been done at the seashore in Germany fronting the Baltic Ocean. In the work, Yamashita and Kobayashi count and number waves in writing until it comes up to 1000.
Waves are ambiguous, have no form to be able to count clearly, and they come eternally.
This work, so to speak, is a fight between two Japanese artists and Baltic Ocean.

How to make a mountain sculpture (Matterhorn)
2006, Wood, 26x14x14cm, digital-print, 72x48cm

In this project Yamashita and Kobayashi stick to the simple basic principle for creating artwork, that is “Look and Make”. They went to the Swiss Alps, picked up pieces of firewood around their house and created a mountain sculpture in front of the mountain.

How to make a mountain sculpture (Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau)
2006, Wood, 29x18x16cm, digital-print, 72x48cm

Mice (Left #1 Naoto's hair, Right #2 Mai's hair)
2006, 2 digital prints, each 35x50cm

infinity
2006, HDV transferred to Blu-ray, silent, 4.38min.

"Paths are made by walking"
In order to determine whether the above phrase was actually true, Yamashita and Kobayashi kept running in a park for 5 days.
In the fast-forward movie compiled from digital photographs taken one per second, a path the shape of infinity gradually emerges as they move with high-speed.

infinity in Berlin
2008, HDV transferred to Blu-ray, silent, 5.06min.

This is the second realization of “infinity” that has been carried out at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, from 8th to 17th April 2008 as a parallel programme of the exhibition “Re-imagining Asia”.

Candy
2005, candy, glass bowl, DVD, 3:22min., silent

The project began on the day that Yamashita and Kobayashi created a giant candy the size of a football (18cm in diameter).
From that day they kept licking the candy day after day for about six months, with the aim of creating an ordinary candy, the kind you can buy on the market. The video work, shot with the artists in profile, records this process. While they were licking, the landscape in the background changed from snowy winter to summer.

When I wish upon a star
2004, video installation, 2:22min.(Loop)

In 'When I wish upon a star" Yamashita and Kobayashi prolonged a videotaped image of a real shooting star, whose duration is originally less than a second, into about two minutes in order to make it long enough for all of Yamashita's wishes upon the shooting star.
For example: I wish to become a great artist... I wish to speak German fluently... I wish to produce masterpieces...

Wishing Pillars
2006, Public art project, silver sticker on painted pillars
Café KIASMA, The Museum of Contemporary Art KIASMA, Helsinki (Co-operation: Helsingin Sanomat)

This public art project was done as part of a project for the international exhibition “ARS 06” at The Museum of Contemporary Art KIASMA, in connection with Yamashita and
Kobayashi’ s video installation “When I wish upon a star”.
They collected hundreds of wishes from local Finnish and Swedish people in co-operation with the website of the Helsingin Sanomat, the most famous newspaper company in Finland.
Hundreds of wishes were reproduced on silver stickers and attached to the three pillars in the Café KIASMA in the museum.

Release of mineral water
2004, DVD, 5:33min.

'Release of mineral water' is a documentary in which the artists and mineral water made a journey.
Yamashita and Kobayashi ‘rescue’ two bottles of "Tönissteiner" German mineral water from a convenience store in Japan and carry the water to its source, the Eifel region in Germany, in order to ‘release’ it.

TARZAN
2004, DVD, 6:41min.

In a zoo located in Tokyo, the artists tried to communicate with animals.
With a portable megaphone decorated like a small jungle, Yamashita played the shouting voice of Tarzan taken from the movie "TARZAN THE APE MAN"(Johnny Weissmuller) to animals.

Present (for a Giraffe)
2004, Wool, Life size for a giraffe
(installation view at Takuro Someya Contemporary Art)

Essentially knitting is a warm-hearted activity with the aim of sending love to family members or lovers.
The artists completed the knitting of a super large life-sized sweater for a 4-meter-tall giraffe in a zoo.
In winter they kept knitting the long-necked turtleneck sweater stroke by stroke and day after day for two months, although they knew that the giraffe would never accept the sweater or wear it.

miracle
2004, DVD, 3:10min.

In this piece, five dice always show the same number, no matter how many times the artists repeat throwing them in turns. This hints to the fact that hundreds and thousands of incomplete miracles actually exist (i.e. in daily life). In fact, they threw the dice every day for two months.

MAI YAMASHITA+NAOTO KOBAYASHI WORKS 2007-2011

2011 Second Artist Book,
Published by Takuro Someya Contemporary Art
96 pages, Japanese/English
With box and magnifying glass, 4,095 yen (incl.tax)
TEXT: Natsumi Araki (Mori Art Museum Curator)

To buy at:
Amazon.co.jp
NADiff, DAIKANYAMA T-SITE,
Standard Bookstore, Takuro Someya Contemporary Art

Mai Yamashita + Naoto Kobayashi
First Artist Book, 2007, 52 pages, English, 500 edition
TEXT: Thomas von Taschitzki

To buy at:
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (www.hkw.de)
Nadiff, Japan (www.nadiff.com)

Yamashita & Kobayashi

1976 born in Chiba, Japan

Lives in Berlin, Germany

Education

Mai Yamashita

2009
PhD Tokyo University of the Arts
2004.
M.A.Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Oil painting
2001.
B.A. Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Oil Painting

Naoto Kobayashi

2002.
M.A. Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Oil painting
1999.
B.A. The University of Tsukuba, School of Art and Design, Oil painting

Grants

2014
Residency at Quartier21, MuseumsQuartier, Vienna, Austria (scheduled)

2014
Pola Art Foundation, International Exchange, Japan

2013-14
Pollock Krasner Art Foundation, New York, USA

2011
ISCP- International Studio & Curatorial Program, NY, USA

2011
Yoshino Gypsum Art Foundation, Stipend, Japan

2010
Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin

2009-11
The Japanese Government Overseas Study Programme for Artists

2007
The Japanese Government Overseas Study Programme for Artists

2006
Stipend, The Asahi Shimbun Foundation, Japan
Stipend, The Nomura Cultural Foundation, JapanAtelier Stipendium, AKKU Uster, Switzerland
Honorable Mention, transmediale.06, Berlin, Germany
Special Prize, Vad International Video and Digital Arts Festival, Spain
2nd Prize, Gstaad Film Festival, Switzerland

Solo Exhibitions

2013
Works On Paper, Daikanyama T-Site, Tokyo

2011
"The Four Souvenirs and The Book", Takuro Someya Contemporary Art, Tokyo
"Adventure, Courage, Love and Friendship", Kunstverein Göttingen, Germany

2010
“Mai Yamashita + Naoto Kobayashi”, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (scheduled)
“Screen Spirit_Continued_#11”, Städtische Galerie Bremen, Bremen, Germany

2009
“The Small Mountain”, Takuro Someya Contemporary Art, Chiba, Japan
“playing with time”, NOW IDeA by Utrecht, Tokyo

2008
"INUZORI" Rasche Ripken Berlin, Berlin, Germany

2007
"1000WAVES", Kunsthalle Lingen, Germany
"infinity Mai Yamashita+Naoto Kobayashi", ZAIM Annex 304, Yokohama

Group Exhibitions

2013
"Now Japan", Kunsthal KAdE Amersfoot, the Netherlands
"Victory Obsessed", Zamek Culture Centre, Poznan
"Why not live for Art?", Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo
"Super 8", MAM Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2012
"Cities and Things That Matter", Lombard Freid Projects, NY
"Eleventh Hour", Futura Centre For Contemporary Art, Prague
"Super 8", Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco
"Body Talks?", Art Fair Tokyo : Special Video Program, Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo
"Mediated Visions", Galerie Wedding, Berlin
"Kashiwa City Jack", Chiba, Japan

2011
"Yokohama Triennale 2011", Japan
"Invisibleness is visibleness", Moca Taipei, Taiwan
"Super 8", Christopher Grimes Gallery, Santa Monica*
"Open Studio", ISCP-International Studio & Curatorial Program, NY
"Body Talks?", SYMPOSIA, Tokyo

2010
“Things That Only An Artist Can Do”, Museo Extremeño e Iberoamericano de Arte Contemporáneo, Badajoz, Spain (scheduled)
“Love Sick”, Stills Gallery, Sydney, Australia (scheduled)
"Aichi Triennale 2010", Aichi, Japan
"CONVOCATORIA INTERNACIONAL ANUAL DE JOVENES ARTISTAS - XII EDICION", Luis Adelantado, Valencia, Spain
“Things That Only An Artist Can Do”, Museo deArte Contemporánea de Vigo, Spain

2009
“5+1 Junction Box”, Vacant, Tokyo
“JAPAN VIDEO WINDOW”, Duplex/10m2, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
“UNIVERSO ELECTRÓNICO”, El Tanque Espacio cultural, Canary Islands, Spain

2008
“Yokohama Art & Home Collection”, Kanagawa, Japan
"Art Amsterdam 2008", Amsterdam
"Re-imagining Asia", Performance "infinity", Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin
"BACKLIGHT 08", 8th International Photographic Triennial, Photographic Centre Nykyaika, Tampere, Finland

2007
"I Am Future Melancholic", Tate Modern, London
"I Am Future Melancholic", GoGallery, Milan, Italy
"Museumsnacht" Stadtgalerie Kiel, Germany
"MIACA@LUX", LUX, London
"Evolution 2007", The Linacre Studio, Leeds, UK
"Japanese Video Art Screening", Henie-Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden, Norwway
"Vor Ort", Villa am Aabach, Uster, Switzerland
"Videonale 11", Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany
"Madrid Abierto 2007", Canal Metro, Madrid
"Saison Video 2007 #31", Musée des Beaux-Arts et la Dentelle, Calais, France
"36th International Film Festival Rotterdam", the Netherlands

2006
“ARS 06”, Museum of Contemporary Art KIASMA, Helsinki, Finland
“Small mischief”, Pump House Gallery, London
"LichtRouten", Kerksighalle, Luedenscheid, Germany
“PHOTOESPAÑA 2006”, Madrid, Spain
"Trans_vision" V&A Friday Late, the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England
“Indblik”, Herning Kunstmuseum, Denmark
“The Peninsula”Singapore History Museum, Singapore
“Theory of Everything : Video Art from Tokyo”, Workstation Arts Center, Beijing
"Fair Play 2006", play-gallery for still and motion pictures, Berlin
"Starting into Space", the Temp d'Images Festival, Budapest, Hungary
"O.V.L by REC", ZAIM, Yokohama, Japan
“transmediale.06”, Akademie der Künste, Gallery ZERO, Berlin, Germany

2005
“EMERGENCY 2”, Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth, England
“Rosa!” :the Exposed Colour Pink, Chinretsukan Gallery of The University Art Museum, Tokyo

2004
“The World is Mine”, Hiromi Yoshii Five, Tokyo, Japan

2003
“Green Space 2_licht/schatten”, Haus am Horn, Weimar, Germany

2002
“Philip Morris K.K. Art Award 2002 -The First Move”, Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan

Projects

::curation::
video screening project
[Many people ask me, "Don't you miss Japan when you live abroad?"]
http://www.dontyoumissjapan.com/

Bibliography

2007
caralogue "Mai Yamashita+Naoto Kobayashi"
2006
catalogue, “ARS 06” Museum of Contemporary Art KIASMA, Finland
catalogue, “transmediale.06”, Germany
magazine, KIASMA MAGAZINE 30-06, Museum of Contemporary Art KIASMA, Finland
2005.
newspaper, "Helsingun Sanomat", Finland
catalogue, “Kasseler Dokumentarfilm und Videofest”, Germany
2004.
catalogue, "The World is Mine", Japan
2002.
catalogue, "PHILLIP MORRIS K.K. ART AWARD 2002-THE FIRST MOVE", Japan

Links

http://www.yamashita-kobayashi.com

Contact

Schleswig-Holsteinisches Künstlerhaus, Ottestr.1,
D-24340 Eckernförde, Germany
Email: m_plus_n@yahoo.co.jp
www.yamashita-kobayashi.com