Kenta Cobayashi

PHOTOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE

curated by Francesco Zanot

 

Kenta Cobayashi’s (Kanagawa, Japan, 1992) research is grounded in a conception of photography as a tool that produces unstable and constantly changeable images – the opposite of the fixed and static quality traditionally associated with the medium. Thanks to digital manipulation software, every photographic shot has transformed itself into the basis for the production of a potentially infinite quantity of variations; a process of constant reimagining of reality.

In this exhibition, Cobayashi collects a number of images drawn from different series, retracing the work carried out in the last years on the theme of generations, technology, artificial intelligence, time, science and science fiction. Each displayed photograph is accompanied by a second version of the same image as negative, placed on the ground. In this manner two opposite interpretations of reality, both originating from the same frame, are presented at the same time, creating a distancing effect which dilates perception.

In Cobayashi’s work photography has nothing to do with documenting the truth, but rather is an interference, a link that connects different spaces and times, and a portal (the videogame Portal is an inspiration for the project) for the mind to cross.

Born in 1992, Kanagawa, Japan. Based in Tokyo and Shonan.

He regard photography as to question what it is to capture “truth” and draws an outline of this question through wide variety of approaches. He has had a solo exhibition Rapid Eye Movement IMA gallery (Tokyo, 2019); Everything Now Stieglitz 19 (Antwerp, 2017); Insectautomobilogy / What is an aesthetic? G/P gallery (Tokyo, 2017); #photo G/P gallery (Tokyo, 2016); and his works have been featured in major group exhibitions such as 2018 Seoul Photo Festival -Brave New World SeMA + Buk-Seoul Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea, 2018-2019); TOKYO Before/After The Japan Foundation (Toronto, Canada 2018); Hello World―For the Post-Human Age ART TOWER MITO (Mito, 2018) GIVE ME YESTERDAY Fondazione Prada (Milan, 2016); New Rube Goldberg Machine KAYOKO YUKI・KOMAGOME SOKO (Tokyo, 2016); New Material, Casemore Kirkeby (San Francisco, 2016) and trans-tokyo / trans-photo Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival (Xiamen, China, 2015).

 

His works have been added to a collection at major institutions like Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, The Japan Foundation and the Amana collection. His first photo book Everything_1 was published by Newfave.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13th › 3 pm

Guided tour with kenta Cobayashi and Francesco Zanot

EXHIBITION VENUE

Chiostri di San Pietro
via Emilia San Pietro, 44/c
Reggio Emilia

1

Orari

opening days
April 12th › 7pm - 11pm
April 13th › 10am - 11pm
April 14th › 10 am - 8pm

April 20th to June 9th
Saturday and Sunday › 10am-7pm

Special openings
April 22nd, 25th, 26th › 10am-7pm
May 1st, 2nd, 3rd › 10am-7pm


Evening openings
April 27th › 10am-11pm
May 4th › 10am-11pm
May 25th › 10am-11pm
June 1st › 10am-11pm

Category
Chiostri di San Pietro