My name is Yuki Kobayashi. I was born in Tokyo and lived in Tokyo until I was 18 years old. After graduating from high school, I lived in Hawaii for two years and then went to England to study at the University of the Arts in London, where I attended Central Saint Martins for four years and then the Royal College of Art for two years as an MA student, graduating this year. It is time for me to start working as an artist.

During my BA (Bachelor of Arts) I did fine art, making paintings and installations, and from there I gradually merged it with performance, and now I mainly do performance.

Yes, I am. I am really glad that I came. If I hadn't come, I wouldn't be where I am today, and I feel like I would have become a real asshole. I was able to do art, but the biggest thing was the people I met. The Royal College of Art had just established a performance art department in fine art, which has not been introduced very often in the world. I feel very honored to have been able to belong to it and to be the first Japanese graduate. Derived from various encounters, I have had more opportunities to create works and exhibit them, and most importantly, I have met many people who support me.

I don't know if it's the same in London or if it just happens to be me, but I think the art community is pretty small, so if you are doing something, someone will notice. If you keep visiting the scene, you will get to know more people. It's not enough to just do your best, but I think there are a lot of people who are watching you.

It is a place with high prices and a lot of people. But not so much compared to Tokyo, I guess. Also, the transportation is not so convenient. But basically, I like it. I don't have any inconvenience.

When I first left Tokyo and went to Hawaii, there were times when I wanted to go back to Japan, but these days I don't think about it so much anymore. After 6 years here, I finally graduated from the Royal College of Art, met some new friends, and thankfully, more people are supporting me, and I finally have the opportunity to perform in Japan this summer. I am very happy with the timing of the performance. This will be the first time for me to perform in Japan, so I am very happy.

Spiral. We were looking for a way to do this not only by ourselves, but also in conjunction with some other event, and we were able to participate in Dada's 100th anniversary festival this time.

I went to an art college in London, so I don't know much about other educational institutions, but in my case, I was given a lot of freedom to do what I wanted to do, with an emphasis on individuality. They would say things like, "You should do this or that," but they didn't put me in a teacher's mold. I feel that they respect us and tell us what to do. Also, even though they are teachers, they are all artists, so I appreciated the fact that they talked to me from the perspective of other artists. They are very kind to me, and I felt that they were saying this because they themselves had experience when they were young making artworks. The teacher was also performing with me, so I felt more like a kind senior than a teacher. Instead, I think you have to be self-motivated to continue. People who don't do things on their own are no good. So, those who are highly motivated will stay, and those who are not so motivated will disappear. I thought it was good that it was clear. The students are of different ages, but regardless of age, they are all working from the same perspective.

This summer I will be performing and creating in Japan, and after that I hope to do something with a girl who is currently in a performance duo. She lives in Amsterdam, so I would like to go to Amsterdam for 6 months to a year and work with her. I would also like to participate in films and video productions and work with other media to broaden my range. I would like to go to the U.S. for these reasons as well. Instead of going back to Japan, I would like to go to some other big city and increase my production in a different field.

I don't think that is necessarily true, but I myself have studied art in Europe, so I think it would be more of a challenge to do it in Japan. I would like to go back to New York, or rather to the U.S., this time as an artist. I would like to go back to New York, or rather, to the U.S., this time as an artist. I feel that there are more opportunities in the U.S., but the general public's view of performance art is probably different, and the experience level of people who are doing art at a young age is also different, so I think the barriers are higher. I hope to learn more about various things in such places. I like Japan because it is where I was born and I have friends there, but I feel spoiled when I go back. I feel like I might get lazy because of the fun and delicious food, so I think it would be better to push myself a little harder, but not too hard.

I don't know much about politics, but my friends who are artists of my generation say, "This is a troublesome situation. Artists are supposed to be international and mobile, so the fact that we are no longer connected to the rest of the world is very inconvenient, and I think that young people will move to other EU countries. However, as an artist, I think it is a good thing that I was here at such a historical moment. So I hope to go back to a different place and create with young people of my generation. This year, when I was originally planning to leave London, I decided to leave at the same time I was leaving London, and other young artists are leaving too, so I think it's good about that. The center of the world is not only here forever, and I think that different movements will take place as things move forward. I have many thoughts about this, but I think we have to take a positive attitude toward it and keep working on it.

I think you should go first. I often hear people say, "I want to go. I am sure there are many reasons why you cannot go, but you have to go anyway, so I think you should go first. In my case, I went and met historically important people and well-known artists, and my awareness was heightened. I also felt a connection with the younger generation, and I am really glad I came.