Mai Yamashita was born in 1976 and Naoto Kobayashi was born in 1974, both in Chiba, Japan. Currently they live and work in Tokyo, after four-year practice in Europe.
In their video installations and performances, the duo often give time-consuming acts such as putting a seed in soil in their palms and waiting until the moment of its germination; running on green lawn until the shape of infinity appears to prove the saying "A path is made by walking"; throwing five dice numerous times to collect the rare occasions when all the dice show the same number; etc. Spending lots of their time and energy, the duo capture and show us "decisive moments". The moments are like secrets of the world, since they usually do not expose to us because they are either too fast or too slow.
Their recent solo shows include “Dogsled” Rasche Ripken Berlin, 2008; “1000WAVES” Kunsthalle Lingen, 2007, and group shows include “Re-imagining Asia” Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, 2008; “I Am Future Melancholic” Tate Modern, London, 2007; “ARS 06” Museum of Contemporary Art KIASMA, Helsinki, Finland, 2006.