Art for Animation: Kosuke Hayashi
Exhibition views at Riekeles Gallery. Photos by Adam Sevens.
Riekeles Gallery presented the first-ever solo exhibition in Germany dedicated to a Japanese anime background artist: Kosuke Hayashi — Art for Animation. This landmark show featured the work of Kosuke Hayashi, one of the leading background artists and art directors of the new generation in Japanese animation.
The exhibition opened on June 5, 2025, at Riekeles Gallery in Potsdam and ran through October 4, 2025, marking the first solo exhibition of Hayashi's work outside Japan.
Hayashi, who works at Studio Ghibli, is renowned for his hand-painted style using traditional materials like poster color and brush on paper. At a time when much of the animation industry has turned digital, his painterly approach stood out for its subtlety, depth, and material presence.
The Exhibition
The exhibition showcased Hayashi's background art for In This Corner of the World and The Boy and the Heron, along with a selection of his personal works — many shown publicly for the first time. These independent paintings reflected Hayashi's own artistic vision beyond the confines of film production, and his personal and professional works were shown to inform each other, forming a body of work that reflects both his evolving technique and individual voice.
To accompany the show, Riekeles Gallery offered a series of limited-edition Solegraphs — fine art reproductions of his backgrounds — as well as original artworks and a new fine art poster edition of Hayashi's final production background for Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron (2023), scene no. 790. It was the first time Riekeles Gallery presented original pieces by the artist.
The Boy and the Heron, Scene No. 790, Solegraph Edition
About the Artist
Kosuke Hayashi, born in 1984 in Toyama, Japan, studied traditional Japanese painting (Nihonga) at the University of Tsukuba, graduating in 2008. He works at Studio Ghibli and is widely recognized for his commitment to hand-painted techniques in an industry that has largely shifted to digital production.
Using poster color and brush on paper, Hayashi's work is celebrated for its material richness, tonal subtlety, and painterly atmosphere. His unique approach brings depth and emotion to the animated worlds he helps create.
In 2025, Hayashi received the Nippon Rising Star Award at the Nippon Connection Film Festival in Frankfurt, acknowledging both his achievements in animation and his growing recognition as a visual artist.
Professional Experience 2008 — J.C.STAFF Art Department 2011 — Inspired Inc. 2014 — Freelance background artist 2016 — Deho Gallery 2023–Present — Studio Ghibli
As Art Director Giovanni's Island (2014), In This Corner of the World (2016), The Invisible Man (2018), In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World (2019), Tomorrow's Leaves (2020), The Imaginary (2023)
As Background Artist When Marnie Was There (2014), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017), Children of the Sea (2019), Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021), The Boy and the Heron (2023), Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window (2023)
Kosuke Hayashi and Stefan Riekeles, Tokyo March 2025. Photo by Yasuyuki Takagi.
Opening
On June 5, 2025, Riekeles Gallery celebrated the opening of the exhibition in the presence of Kosuke Hayashi.
Impressions of the opening. Photos by Adam Sevens.
This landmark exhibition was supported by
BNN Inc., Circadian, Crunchyroll, Deho Gallery, Film University Babelsberg, Filmmuseum Potsdam, GENCO, Nicker Poster Color, Nippon Connection, Studio Ghibli