Alison S. M. Kobayashi Artist Talks and Screenings

Alison S.M. Kobayashi is an identity contortionist. In her work, Kobayashi performs a variety ofcharacters that are both studiously and playfully rendered. These personas are inspired by Kobayashi’s extensive collection of lost, discarded and donated objects; ranging from answering  machine tapes purchased at a secondhand shop to a love letter left on a sidewalk. Through  repeated interaction with the objects (listening, transcribing, re-enactment, play) narratives and imagery begin to manifest and inspire performances, videos, installations and drawings. The  results are humorous, low-fi artifacts of an artist embodying the lives of others.

The presentation invites you into Kobayashi’s interdisciplinary practice; sharing videos, drawings, photography and the original found objects they reference. She will share tips on thrift and she will screen her instructional video: How to Break into a Motel.