My name is Mayuko Kobayashi (they/them), and I was originally born in Japan, though I spent a chunk of my childhood moving around different countries. I’m currently studying Film/Animation/Video at Rhode Island School of Design.
I love making films, drawings, music, and taking photos. Although I’m still finding specific topics of interest in my work, I tend to gravitate broadly towards themes of displacement, or an act of pursuit. Recently, I’ve been interested in navigating the inherent binaries that constrict my identity, whether that be an othering; queerness, being Japanese, being simultaneously static and fluid— in between. I am interested in the difference between escaping and exploring.
I think about the labor of connection a lot; what it takes to maintain a relationship with someone, and with nature. I approach making in a similar manner— laborous and tedious, repetitive and slowly changing.
My current obsessions!
Fireworks
Death Valley National Park
Vernal pools
Ursula K. Le Guin
Jungle crows in Japan
Late night fog
Oil pastels
Contact
mkobayas@risd.edu
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