Serena Kobayashi-LeBel
Based in Toronto, Serena Kobayashi-LeBel (They/She) is an emerging figurative queer artist whose paintings investigate the connection between our natural instincts and social upbringing.
Passionate about capturing the fragility and resilience of today’s youth who face an increasingly uncertain future, they hybridize natural imagery and the human body to represent a subject's unique life experiences. What inspires their work most is the complex and dynamic relationships young people have with themselves as they learn to navigate their social environment and define their identity.
Their style captures a delicate blend of vulnerability and ferality, favouring flowering imagery that charms the viewer only to reward them with a grotesque twist. At the core of their work, they creates strikingly queer pieces that offer insight into the complex emotions and struggles experienced by young adults in a rapidly decaying world.
Born and raised in Toronto, Kobayashi-LeBel completed their BFA with Honours at York University in 2020.
Using their skills in hyper-realism they also love to take on projects commemorating portraits of loved ones; friends, family or fur babies.