Lua Kobayashi
2023 Aurora Project Residency
2023 Aurora Project Resident Lua Kobayashi will spend two weeks exploring the stories and experiences of Japanese-Americans in Indiana through photographs of their belongings and audio interviews. Kobayashi has worked with the concept of portraiture through personal objects in her previous series, Where a Forest Once Grew.
California-based Kobayashi writes of Where a Forest Once Grew and her planned project in Indiana:
When my Grandmother passed, my family had to comb through her belongings. With every piece, a new memory came to the surface for each of us. For me, it first began when I saw her signature lipstick — the last tube of her classic red shade. I realized that every one of these pieces, from handmade dresses to diary entries, revealed a detail of my Grandmother’s life. I photographed each of these images and created my own archive of her possessions. Each of her belongings became like a thread in the tapestry of her life, and I was able to catch glimpses of her throughout this process. Each belonging photographed for Where a Forest Once Grew pertains to a different moment, memory, recollection or era of her life. Although at first glance they appear like common objects, as more came together, a portrait of her began to appear.
Although this project begins through an individual narrative, I found that other Japanese-Americans resonated with the work and could see their own family members within. They recognized similar objects within their own spaces, and some even had family members who were at the same places as my Grandmother. We were able to share remembrances of our ancestors and found joy in swapping these stories. Those who were not Japanese-American were curious to learn more and engage in conversations about the history, as well as identify with the feeling of reconnecting with their loved ones through the impressions they left behind. This meant a lot to me, and I would like to expand on this project by collecting and documenting the stories of Japanese-Americans and their histories on the Midwest, as they are disappearing and being forgotten with time.
Lua Kobayashi received a B.A. from UCLA in 2019. Her work typically takes its form in photo, video, and installation, often combining all three. Kobayashi is interested in the stories behind everyday objects, places and people, with which we believe we are familiar. The artist grew up in predominantly white suburbia, and was one of very few minorities in the community, which has informed her practice, as, “I could not fit in — no matter how hard I tried.” Kobayashi, who is Japanese-American and Uruguayan, found her heritage and upbringing were different from others of mixed race; she found that she had a very different experience of the world, compared to many others. Behind perfection were hidden stories and histories, some more innocent than others. Kobayashi looks at the stories behind the most mundane of places and her heritage to better understand herself and her ancestors.
Kobayashi’s works have been in juried shows across the United States; most recently at the Irvine Fine Arts Center and Shoebox Art Gallery. In 2023, Kobayashi’s first solo show, co-sponsored by Aratani and the UCLA Asian Studies Department, opened in Westwood Village, Los Angeles. Kobayashi teaches photography workshops at Oakwood High School, and she has been a mentor/guest artist at Las Fotos Project and guest lecturer at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Kobayashi (luakobayashi.com) has completed residencies with the City of Santa Monica in Los Angeles, and Chateau Orquevaux in France.
The Aurora Project Residency offers a two-week intensive work period for experimentation, research, and development of new or ongoing projects, with priority for the residency given to projects that engage and incorporate the place and people of Indianapolis. The residency includes a $2,000 stipend and a place to stay.
The Aurora Project Residency would not be possible without the following partnership.
Pending scheduling, Tube Factory Artspace will donate lodging for this residency in their artist bed and breakfast located on Cruft Street in the Garfield Park area of Indianapolis. Aurora PhotoCenter thanks Tube Factory Artspace for its generous support of this residency.
