Mariko Kobayashi's solo exhibition ‘The Beginning Exhibition 1: Into the Celebration Forest’ will be held at Kawaguchi City Museum of Art

Mariko Kobayashi’s solo exhibition ‘The Beginning Exhibition 1: Into the Celebration Forest’ will be held at Kawaguchi City Museum of Art from April 18 – May 24, 2026. 

Kawaguchi City Museum of Art is currently in a “preparation period” to prepare the museum’s environment in preparation for its grand opening in September 2026. Taking advantage of this period, pre-opening event called ‘The Beginning Exhibition” will be held. This event will feature three exhibitions held in sequence: ‘Into the Forest of Celebration’ （April 18 – May 24）, ‘The Touch of the Future’ （June 13 – July 5）, and ‘Butterflies of the World – Art Created by Nature’ （July 18 – August 2）.

The first exhibition, ‘Into the Forest of Celebration,’ is directed by Mariko Kobayashi, a textile artist who has her studio in Kawaguchi City. In the atrium, you can see Kobayashi’s textile works, which depict plants and animals in a world filled with flowing water and light. 

In the next exhibition room, Exhibition Room 1, the forest where birds fly about will be depicted. The works gathered here are the creations of workshops from the “Migratory Bird Art Project Created with Citizens,” which has been held in various locations throughout the city since 2025. Approximately 700 citizens participated in these workshops, which transformed discarded fabrics and threads into colorful birds. In addition, birds created by citizens of Findlay, Ohio, USA, a sister city of Kawaguchi City, will also be added to this forest. 

Migratory birds, each born from the hands of individual artists, come together to create a festive scene in the newly opened museum. Please feel free to stop by and take a break. 

【EXHIBITION DETAILS】 
Title: The Beginning Exhibition 1: Into the Celebration Forest 
Venue: Kawaguchi City Museum of Art 
Period: April 18 – May 24, 2026 
Hours: 10:00 – 18:00（Last admission at 17:30） 
Closing day: Mondays（Open on May 4, 5, 6. Closed on May 7） 
HP: https://kawaguchi-moa.jp/exhibitions/751/ 
Organisers: Kawaguchi City Museum of Art