Double Vision

Kohei Kobayashi

Born in 1974 in Tokyo. He lives in Saitama Prefecture.

At first glance nothing happens in Kohei Kobayashi's works of video art. Against a background of unremarkable landscapes - at the side of a road, the edge of a forest, in a field or in his studio - he performs unremarkable activities. He drags a wooden board along the ground, throws a plastic bottle, pours water from a bucket onto the pavement, or simply rides a bicycle. What lies behind these activities is an interest in the casual and commonplace - or, in other words, in everyday life. Played out before the camera, these activities appear absurd, but at the same time, as they are freed from their utilitarian or mechanical aspects, they become pure movement and acquire a different, poetic dimension that spills over into their everyday manifestations.