Kobayashi drew his energy and materials from the streets of Little Italy, developing a unique style of mixed media dubbed by writer Michael Florescu, clouage, taken from the French verb meaning “to nail.” Using found metals and detritus, he assembled two and three-dimensional works from discarded ceiling tin as well as beer and Cafe Bustelo cans. The selection of Robert Kobayashi’s work in The 2021 ADAA Art Show surveys the artist’s best-known subjects—cozy geometric interiors that record Kobayashi’s time in Paris and New York, and a sculpture of Fumiko, whose delicately painted floral sweater exhibits Kobayashi’s unique ability to imbue metal with softness and warmth. The show is anchored by three neo-pointillist paintings from the 1980s, Vermont Window, Fleur de Lis #1, and String Beans, to highlight a crucial evolution in Kobayashi’s practice—the transition from painting to clouage.