Get Osamu Kobayashi While You Can – Thursday night at 80808

The process of painting is a power struggle. I take my paintings one way; they want to go
somewhere else. And when they go somewhere else; I drag them in another direction.
In the end, the paintings usually wins.

My work is reductive in form, often compositionally centered, and employs a spontaneous
and intuitive array of colors, shapes, and textures. Using these elements I create visual
dualities: chance vs. control, organic vs. geometric, warm vs. cool, large vs. small, etc.

Like a good story, the elements that comprise each work push and pull off of each other,
creating a unified structure that stays contained–but never becomes subdued–within its
own parameters.

The aim is to create work with a sensation similar to that of a clear thought: the idea has its
bases covered; there’s no room for argument. In reality, however, these paintings can never
be clear thoughts; they are much more open than that. They are more of a confrontation:
between what I desire to know and what I can never know entirely. — Osamu Kobayashi

If you read the most recent issue of Jasper you know how proud we are of our native son Osamu Kobayashi whose visual arts career has already lifted off the launch pad, sparks flying, smoke roiling, and is making that last almost slo-mo ascent into space. Right now, we can shade our eyes against the brightness, but soon he’ll be another one of those star-like satellites in the sky that we can identify by its placement and history, but no longer actually touch. (Unless we sneak in a visit with him when he comes home to see Shige and the rest of his family on one of those rare, super-artist holidays.)

Watch this video by Brian Harmon starring Columbia Museum of Art chief curator Will South as well as Osamu’s very proud brother Shigeharu Kobayashi to learn more about Osamu’s upcoming exhibit this Thursday, December 12th at Vista Studios Gallery 80808 at 808 Lady Street.

Don’t miss a chance to meet and chat with Osamu while he’s in Columbia.

See you Thursday night at this free Columbia arts event.

Read more about Osamu here.