Outside the Dream

Painter and mural artist known for precise hand-painted realism created with acrylics. Her work combines the human figure with ornamental motifs such as flowers, butterflies, and symbolic elements inspired by Japanese culture, exploring themes of emotion, memory, and the fragility of belief. She began her artistic career with a solo exhibition in New York in 2010. From 2015 she expanded her activities internationally, living and working in the United Kingdom until 2017 while presenting solo exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Amsterdam. Since 2019 she has also focused on mural projects. In Bangkok she initiated the SDGs-inspired art project “Art Can Help You,” which gathered 1,500 participants over three days at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). She currently explores the concept of “creating atmosphere through art,” focusing on how painting can shape and transform space. ◼️Maika Kobayashi Born 1986, Tokyo, Japan Based in Yamagata, Japan ◼️Education 2005 Graduated from Nihon University, Faculty of Psychology 2009 Tokyo Design Academy, Graduated (Top Honor Award) ◼️Selected Solo Exhibitions 2010 Ouchi Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, USA 2011 The Artcomplex Center of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan 2012 Shibata-cho Gallery, Osaka, Japan 2014 The Artcomplex Center of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan 2016 Gallery Guild, Tokyo, Japan 2017 Onishi Gallery, New York, USA    Shipton Street Gallery, London, UK    Majide Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2018 Basement Ginza, Tokyo, Japan    Gallery Gei, Tokyo, Japan    Assort Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2019 Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), Tokyo, Japan    Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), Bangkok, Thailand 2021 Unknown Fantasy Land, Shibuya Marui, Tokyo, Japan 2023 Premonition, Yamagata, Japan 2024 Yamagata Four Seasons Album, Yamagata, Japan ◼️Selected Group Exhibitions 2016 Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, UK 2017 Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles, USA 2018 Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles, USA ◼️Public Art & Murals 2014 Kanzashiya Wargo, Kyoto, Japan 2017 Kyubee, Kyoto, Japan 2019 Chigusaya (Tokyo), 417tea (Osaka), Rain and Lump (Sapporo) 2020 Shobido, Yamagata, Japan 2021 Takamiya Rurikura Resort, Zao Onsen, Yamagata (22-meter mural) 2022 Yamagata Station East Exit Pedestrian Deck, Yamagata, Japan    Roadside Station Yamagata Zao, Yamagata, Japan ◼️Performances & Collaborative Projects (Selected) 2018– Founder and Director of performance group KOOYA 2019 JAPAN EXPO Paris, France 2020 Haneda Airport International Terminal Edo Stage, Tokyo, Japan 2021–2023 Interdisciplinary collaborations including live painting with Japanese drums, orchestras, and regional cultural institutions ◼️Media Coverage (Selected) Kahoku Shimpo Newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun (New Year Edition) Asahi Shimbun Yamagata Television / YBC Yamagata Broadcasting / TUY TV Yamagata Roundtable discussion with Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (2022) ◼️Artist Statement (Short) Kobayashi’s practice explores the quiet strength within women, visualizing inner resolve, silence, and emotional structures through painting. Since relocating from Tokyo to Yamagata in 2021, she has developed a practice rooted in place while engaging with international exhibition contexts.