Rio Kobayashi D

Bosa Bosa Stool, 2025

Meaning ‘Messy Hair’ in Japanese, Bosa
Bosa, is a series of reinvented antique
furniture. Kobayashi has incorporated his
knowledge of brush making, a traditional
Japanese craft, with painted details and
carvings in these playful sculptural chairs.

“Edisni tuo”or (Inside out) is a furniture series that explores themes such as reversal, movement, and cultural reinterpretation.

At the center of it is a simple yet deep gesture, physically and conceptually “turning up” logs from inside to outside. This project is an important turning point in Rio Kobayashi’s production activities, and it is one of the early works in Japan for him who spent more than half of his life outside Japan, not a nostalgia, but a “return” reconstructed from distance and western perspective. Just as “Uramaki sushi” wrapped with seaweed on the inside is a western reinterpretation of Japanese cuisine, Edisni tuo’s work also reverses “natural”. The bark is left, the cutting surface is exposed, and the part that is usually discarded is put forward as an element.

The idea of movement was born when I visited Yoshino, one of the oldest forestry areas in Japan. Rio Kobayashi and his team explored how the fluctuation can be translated into form, staring at the gently swaying treetops in Yoshino Forest, which is also the source of wood used in this series. As a result, the furniture created as a result, has a casual tremor, and the movement that sways slightly when sitting creates surprises and encourages natural connections and dialogue among neighbors who visit GINZA SIX.

From chairs to stools and benches, this series is a group of works where the strength of Innocence wood and the clarity of modeling coexist.
Project “A Tree” led by and
official

Photography by

Presenting alongside with .cappello

“Edisni tuo”or (Inside out) is a furniture series that explores themes such as reversal, movement, and cultural reinterpretation.

At the center of it is a simple yet deep gesture, physically and conceptually “turning up” logs from inside to outside. This project is an important turning point in Rio Kobayashi’s production activities, and it is one of the early works in Japan for him who spent more than half of his life outside Japan, not a nostalgia, but a “return” reconstructed from distance and western perspective. Just as “Uramaki sushi” wrapped with seaweed on the inside is a western reinterpretation of Japanese cuisine, Edisni tuo’s work also reverses “natural”. The bark is left, the cutting surface is exposed, and the part that is usually discarded is put forward as an element.

The idea of movement was born when I visited Yoshino, one of the oldest forestry areas in Japan. Rio Kobayashi and his team explored how the fluctuation can be translated into form, staring at the gently swaying treetops in Yoshino Forest, which is also the source of wood used in this series. As a result, the furniture created as a result, has a casual tremor, and the movement that sways slightly when sitting creates surprises and encourages natural connections and dialogue among neighbors who visit GINZA SIX.

From chairs to stools and benches, this series is a group of works where the strength of Innocence wood and the clarity of modeling coexist.
Project “A Tree” led by and
official

Photography by

Presenting alongside with .cappello

“On the edge“ for 100 Candleholders show at

📷

I feel honored to announce that my work is part of 100 Candleholders at Blunk Space, alongside so many inspiring and talented artists and designers.

Blunk Space is proud to present 100 Candleholders, the second iteration of their “100” series, inspired by JB Blunk’s 1981 exhibition 100 Plates. The show brings together 100 artists from around the world, each responding to the same brief: to create a candleholder of any material inspired by JB Blunk’s work or the Blunk House.

100 Candleholders
January 17 – March 28, 2026
Opening reception:
Saturday, January 17, 3–5pm

Blunk Space
Point Reyes Station, CA

Happy new year!💫

Blunk Space is pleased to announce participation in FOG Focus 2026 in San Francisco, and I’m delighted to be part of this presentation.

The booth will take the form of a group exhibition connecting the work of living artists to the legacy of pioneering Northern California artist JB Blunk (1926–2002), whose approach to material and place has been an important orientation for my practice. I’m showing 10 new works conceived as seating, all made from salvaged Northern California wood, presented in dialogue with historic paintings by Blunk’s peers—Richard Bowman (1918–2001), Fritz Rauh (1920–2011), and John Anderson (1932–2011).

Across different moments, the works meet through a shared reverence for materials and an intuitive way of working that trusts touch, time, and response over fixed plans. The paintings and the furniture each hold their own histories, yet create forms that feel both ancient and utterly contemporary—rooted in West Marin’s distinctive contributions to art and design while speaking clearly to the present. The exhibition reflects Blunk Space’s commitment to preserving and extending a Northern California sensibility within the context of FOG Focus.

Blunk Space at FOG Focus
Booth 401
Thursday, January 22–24, 2026, 11am–7pm
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 11am–5pm

Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, Pier 2
San Francisco, CA 94109
📸

Blunk Space is pleased to announce participation in FOG Focus 2026 in San Francisco, and I’m delighted to be part of this presentation.

The booth will take the form of a group exhibition connecting the work of living artists to the legacy of pioneering Northern California artist JB Blunk (1926–2002), whose approach to material and place has been an important orientation for my practice. I’m showing 10 new works conceived as seating, all made from salvaged Northern California wood, presented in dialogue with historic paintings by Blunk’s peers—Richard Bowman (1918–2001), Fritz Rauh (1920–2011), and John Anderson (1932–2011).

Across different moments, the works meet through a shared reverence for materials and an intuitive way of working that trusts touch, time, and response over fixed plans. The paintings and the furniture each hold their own histories, yet create forms that feel both ancient and utterly contemporary—rooted in West Marin’s distinctive contributions to art and design while speaking clearly to the present. The exhibition reflects Blunk Space’s commitment to preserving and extending a Northern California sensibility within the context of FOG Focus.

Blunk Space at FOG Focus
Booth 401
Thursday, January 22–24, 2026, 11am–7pm
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 11am–5pm

Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, Pier 2
San Francisco, CA 94109

Frieze London
Booth A8
15 - 19 October 2025
Showing with Kate MacGarry at Frieze London alongside Mark Corfield-Moore
The dialogue between our works explores craft, tradition, and the space between cultures - where curiosity, colour, and material experimentation meet.
Bosa Bosa Chair 2, 2025
Wooden chair, brushes 100 × 55 × 48 cm
Photo: Angus Mill

Frieze London
Booth A8
15 – 19 October 2025

Showing with Kate MacGarry at Frieze London from tomorrow alongside Mark Corfield-Moore 💫

The dialogue between our works explores craft, tradition, and the space between cultures — where curiosity, colour, and material experimentation meet.

📸 Bosa Bosa Chair 2, 2025
Wooden chair, brushes
89 × 50 × 45 cm
Photo: Angus Mill

Frieze London
Booth A8
15 – 19 October 2025

Showing with Kate MacGarry at Frieze London this October alongside Mark Corfield-Moore 💫

The dialogue between our works explores craft, tradition, and the space between cultures — where curiosity, colour, and material experimentation meet.

📸 Bosa Bosa Chair 1, 2025
Wooden chair, brushes
89 × 50 × 45 cm
Photo: Angus Mill