I approach photography not as a fixed image, but as an event that emerges through the relationships between the viewer’s body, space, and time.

My recent practice involves installations using vintage slide projectors and handheld translucent acrylic screens. By releasing fixed photographic images back into light, I create situations in which images become visible only when viewers receive the projected light on their screens. Because these screens are smaller than the projected images, the image can never be seen in its entirety at once. As viewers move, fragments appear, while other parts remain unseen.

I am interested in the uncertainty of seeing and what escapes our perception. While photography serves as a medium for preserving moments, it also brings into question what has been left unrecorded. Through my practice, I explore photography not merely as a means of reproducing what has been recorded, but as a medium for engaging with the uncertainties of seeing, remembering, and sharing experiences with others.

Biography

Born in Saitama, Japan in 1988, Masahiko Kobayashi is a photographer and contemporary artist based in Japan.

While studying at university, he learned photographic production techniques and began his artistic practice after graduation while working as a systems engineer. From 2018 to 2021, he participated in a museum-based art communication program, where he deepened his exploration of how people relate to one another through artworks, as well as the nature of “seeing” and “sharing.” In 2022, he completed the DOOR Project, studying the relationship between art and social welfare.

Currently, his practice centers on installations using vintage slide projectors and acrylic plates, creating experiences in which viewers physically explore images through movement and spatial interaction. Through fragmented imagery and incomplete visibility, he investigates “invisible presences” and the uncertainty inherent in the act of seeing itself.

Curriculum Vitae

[Education]

2011 B.Eng. (The University of Electro-Communications)

2013 M.Eng.(The University of Electro-Communications)

[Solo Exhibitions]

2026 KYOTOGRAPHIE KG+ / Boew-up ( ○MA, Kyoto )

2024 KYOTOGRAPHIE KG+ / Who GIves a Thought ( ○MA, Kyoto )

2024 Laundry ( Alt_Medium, Tokyo )

2023 Life Historical Landscape ( gallery RooM, Saitama )

[Group Exhibitions]

2024 The 9th Photo Archipelago Photography School Graduation Exhibition ( TAKAMATSU ART MUSEUM | Kagawa)

2024 KG+ × Teramachi kyogoku shopping street art museum collaboration ( mumokuteki cafe | Kyoto )

2024 APA AWARD PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION ( TOP MUSEUM / Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art )

[Art Project]

2023 D-Lab 9Jigen Divers ( Taito City Arts and Culture Support Program | Tokyo )

[Grant]

2023 APA AWARD PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION selected

2023 APA AWARD PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION selected

[Workshop]

2022 Cyanotype Photogram Workshop ( Kori | Tokyo )

Contact

koba631208<at>gmail.com

Last updated: Oct. 26, 2026