Personality Unlimited
new work by Alison S.M.Kobayashi
curated by Karie Liao
Artscape Youngplace
180 Shaw St. Toronto
Opening December 12, 2014, 6-8pm
A cross between a cabinet of curiosities and a thrift store, Personality Unlimited presents the collections of A.S.M. Kobayashi’s personally owned and borrowed found objects along with her artistic interpretations of them. The artist’s collections include a diversity of treasures: a 1950s guide to exercises targeted at young women, a set of hand-made biographical books inscribed by a woman named Mrs. Florence Hazel David Bland, discarded tapes from old answering machines, black and white photographs of rainbows, plastic bags, among other things. In response to these materials, Kobayashi’s multi-media works – an interactive projection, a choreographed dance routine, illustrations, photographs, and videos – address themes of loss and memory while infused with the artist’s idiosyncratic humour and penchant for play. Personality Unlimited is an exploration of collecting culture and personal narratives.