“I never wish to be easily defined. I’d rather float over other people’s minds as something strictly fluid and non-perceivable; more like a transparent, paradoxically iridescent creature rather than an actual person.” - Franz Kafka, from his diaries. “Listen, every object's in flux. The Earth, time, concepts, love, life, faith, justice, evil–they're all fluid and in transition. They don't stay in one form or in one place forever. The whole universe is like some big FedEx box.” - Haruki Murakami, from Kafka on the Shore.

In this presentation for Liste 2025, artists Minami Kobayashi (b.1989, Japan) and Julien Monnerie (b. 1987, France) address how an ever-shifting perception of the past transforms our experience and awareness of the present moment. In all of his work Julien Monnerie alters everyday objects such as cuff links and keys, executed with exceptional craftsmanship to tap into an imaginative experience of the past; his enigmatic pewter and silver wall-mounted sculptures are like surreal door knobs to another realm. In her paintings in oil on linen, Minami Kobayashi creates scenes based on her associations with real places from memory that are also dreamlike constructions. Together these artists conjure the feeling that even a daydream can help us to decipher an ever-shifting reality.

Minami Kobayashi (b.1989, Nagoya, Japan) is currently based in London. She holds an MFA in Painting and Drawing from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (2018) and a BFA in Painting from Tokyo University of the Arts (2016). Recent solo and two-person exhibitions include Frestonian Gallery, London (2024); Et Al Gallery San Francisco & NADA Miami (2024); and Goldfinch Gallery, Chicago (2022). She has exhibited in group shows internationally, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum; Setouchi International Triennale, Japan; Western Exhibitions, Chicago; Stems Gallery, Belgium; Dongdaemun Design Plaza, South Korea; and Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles.

​​​​​​​Julien Monnerie (b. 1987, Paris, France) lives and works in Paris. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, the École des Beaux-Arts de Rennes and the Glasgow School of Art. Recent solo and two-person exhibitions include Studiolo, Paris (2023); DOC, Paris (2021); Furiosa, Monaco (2019); Shivers Only at Exo Exo, Paris (2019); Bel Ami, Los Angeles (2019); Tartaix, Le Carreau du Temple, Paris (2018). Recent group exhibitions include Sans Titre, Paris (2024); FuoriCampo, Siena (2024); Tara Downs, New York (2024); MABA, Nogent-sur-Marne, France (2023); Fondation Van Gogh, Arles, France (2023); Palazzo Tamborino Cezzi, Lecce (2023); Glassbox, Paris (2023); Shivers Only, Paris (2021); FRAC Bretagne, Rennes (2021); Jean Brolly, Paris (2020); High Art, Paris (2020); Crèvecoeur, Paris (2020); XYZ Collective, Tokyo (2020); From the Desk of Lucy Bull, Los Angeles (2020); Le Plateau FRAC Île-de-France, Paris (2019).