Osamu Kobayashi b. 1984
“I like my paintings to hover between the recognizable and the abstract.”
Osamu Kobayashi (b. 1984, Columbia, South Carolina) is known for bold, reductive paintings that merge fluid gesture with graphic precision. His work combines biomorphic and geometric forms, often floating across vibrant grounds, and balances humor, surreal indeterminacy, and formal clarity. Broad, sweeping strokes—applied with utility brushes bolted together or as large as brooms—appear effortless yet are the result of a rigorous process of repetition and control.
Drawing on the legacies of hard-edge painting, Color Field abstraction, and the clean lines of graphic design and anime, Kobayashi distills his imagery into simple, playful compositions. Gradients and sharply defined fields of color create illusions of depth, while unexpected associations invite open interpretation.
Kobayashi received his B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2006. He has presented solo exhibitions at Hollis Taggart, New York; Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami; and LA Artcore, Los Angeles. His work has also been included in group exhibitions at institutions such as the Lissone Contemporary Art Museum, the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery at Stony Brook University, the Bronx River Art Center, and the Columbia Museum of Art.
He has received the Hassam, Speicher, Betts, and Symons Purchase Fund from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2013) and a NYFA Artist Fellowship (2021), and is a participant in the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program. Kobayashi lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
