Yu Kobayashi (b. 1965, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) lives and works in a self-built studio made from driftwood and recycled materials next to the ocean in Shizuoka, Japan. Yu is a multi-disciplinary artist - a painter, sculptor and ceramic artist. Yu regularly exhibits in Tokyo and across Japan. She has had two books published about her life and work. Yu walks daily through a grove of pine trees separating her house from the ocean, whereupon she has a view of the sun setting over Mount Fuji while she tends her driftwood bonfire on the beach. Working in these natural surrounds, Yu creates ceramic pieces imbued with a deep appreciation for the profundity of nature. Recent exhibitions include Salmon Creek Farm, Albion, CA (2024); A-Z West, Joshua Tree, CA (2024); and Curator’s Cube, Tokyo, Japan (2022). She is represented by Curator’s Cube and Mother Dictionary in Japan.