KOBAYASHI NANAKO
Beneath the Wind
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KOBAYASHI NANAKO
Beneath the Wind
In “Beneath the Wind”, Kobayashi draws inspiration from the strong winds that flow through the office district of Yurakucho, using “wind” as a metaphor for the invisible presence that moves between people and buildings in the city. Although all the photographs were taken underground, they convey a sense of dense, quiet air — in stark contrast to the bright light and bustle above ground. The subjects in the portraits represent traces of people stirred by the wind, and the bodies moving underground echo the ghostly presence of those who once walked this city. In the massive urban structure, the underground is often treated as a kind of absence — yet even there, wind still flows, time passes, and people leave behind traces. This work aims to unearth the hidden presences and memories that reside in unseen places, and through its presentation on a construction wall, invites a renewed dialogue between the city and its people.
Model: Saori Hara
Make: Yuko Aoi
Archival Photos Supplied by Mitsubishi Estate
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Nanako Kobayashi
Born in 2000 in Fukuoka, Japan. Graduated from the Department of Photography, Faculty of Arts, Tokyo Polytechnic University in 2022. Kobayashi creates installation works using photography, sound, and other media, as if engaging in solitary play born from daydreams that suddenly emerge out of small, everyday moments. She has been a member of GC magazine since 2021. Her major exhibitions include “When boundaries become frame” (Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland, 2020), “PHOTOGRAPHY metamorphosis 3: INTERPLAY on POST/PHOTOGRAPHY” (Kyoto University of the Arts, Galerie Aube, Kyoto, 2023), “JAPAN PHOTO AWARD + INTUITION | 2023” (KYOTOGRAPHIE KG+, HOTEL ANTEROOM KYOTO | Gallery 9.5, Kyoto, 2023), and “A journey for the place of trigger” (same gallery, Tokyo, 2024).