Serena Kobayashi-LeBel

Serena Kobayashi-LeBel (They/Them) is a queer Toronto-based portrait artist who completed their BFA with Honours at York University. Throughout their undergrad, Kobayashi-LeBel participated in several group exhibitions and was awarded the Willowdale Art Award, culminating in their first solo exhibition Human;Nature. Inspired by the dynamic relationships they see among their peers as they navigate the politics of health, identity and social expectation, Serena's style captures a delicate blend of vulnerability and ferality; the viewer is struck by the blossoming imagery, only to confront the grotesque reality of nature. The core of their work centres on representing and exploring these complex emotional struggles.