Lua Kobayashi

In the Neighborhood: In the Doorway

Archival print, mixed media

"In the series ‘In the Neighborhood,’ I took the research I had obtained with my previous Claremont project and began merging it more closely with my own personal experience living in suburbia—my own memories and imagined scenes. The series takes place in a completely constructed neighborhood with generic suburban houses and the same plastic figures. The audience is looking into the events of a particular house, and not everything is as perfect as it seems. These plain figures also allow the viewer to imagine themselves in the narrative, as well as allowing them to create the story between the individual. It is ultimately up to the audience to decide whether the pair are innocently engaging with one another or there are darker connotations."

— Lua Kobayashi

About the artist

Lua Kobayashi

I am Lua Kobayashi, a California-based artist and UCLA graduate, receiving my B.A. in 2019. My work typically takes its form in photo, video, and installation - often combining all three. Through my practice, I am interested in the stories behind everyday objects, places and people, with which we all believe we are familiar; primarily utilizing my own experience within suburbia. Smiling neighbors, perfectly mowed lawns and endless rows of beautifully manicured homes - a seeming idyllic small town. However, growing up in a “perfect” suburb, showed me that this was anything but true. I never fit into my town, despite trying to dress, act and speak like those around me. I would never be included as I do not fit the regimented set of rules laid out by those who identify as “normal”; being a minority physically and inwardly. I was often left feeling like I was on the outskirts looking in; this led me to try to understand how everyone else lived their lives and how it was different from mine.

What I found was the residents were hiding their true-selves, and within every home are lives made up of routines, relationships, gossip, crimes and more. This discovery fascinated me; we often dismiss or ignore the importance of the stories in front of us because they are a part of our everyday lives. I focus on these hidden tales - dissecting the histories and truths behind them and why they always seem to fall to the wayside of the mundane. I fabricate miniature scenes/sets based on these kinds of anthologies; utilizing memories, rumors, history, imagination and the visual aesthetics and languages of films/television. Stories of, or about individuals are important because as more come together they form a history of a place, object or even another person. Through my work, I hope to understand why we are all consistently drawn to, live in, and accept these stories and structures; ultimately, looking for what truly lies beneath the facade and what really happens within.