focus

CHIAKI KOBAYASHI
Illustrator and graphic designer based in Tokyo, Japan.
Working primarily with hand-drawn line-work of consistent thickness, I capture quiet moments that carry a faint warmth of everyday life. Through the passage of time, experience, and daily changes, I move between my inner world and the outside one, revisiting the universal to see the world anew. My compositions are minimalist, making bold use of negative space. I work across books, magazines, packaging design, and animation, collaborating widely in Japan and abroad.

Selected Solo Exhibitions
“Run the Square” (America-bashi Gallery, Japan, 2020)
“Tuning” (VOILLD, Japan, 2020)
“Throw” (VOILLD, Japan, 2022)
“Catch” (VOILLD, Japan, 2023)
“Focus” (VOILLD, Japan, 2024)
“some someone” (BO/OK, Japan, 2025)

Featured in an artist article on It’s Nice That in April 2021.
https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/chiaki-kobayashi-illustration-130421?fbclid=IwAR2Q9E1vsj7zKAy1N5bnrW0b_HD0Vy5AKmyuMRVgkUvVsXMqSp1ZgIwuiJU