Biography
Natsuki Takauji was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, currently lives and works in NYC. She is an instructor at The Art Students League of New York, and a director of Metal Sculptures at Sculptors Alliance for which she curated an exhibition "METAL" at Governors Island in 2017 and a virtual exhibition “Flux” in 2020. Solo exhibition venues include Berkeley College Gallery, Manhattan, NY, and Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY. Her recent group exhibitions include "A special Exhibition for 130th Anniversary of National Association of Women Artists" at the Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster NJ in 2019, curated by Jeffrey Wechsler, a senior curator of the Zimmerli Art Museum, and "Time Space Existence" at Palazzo Mora hosted by European Cultural Centre during the 16th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy in 2018. Her work is held as private collections internationally and one of her oil fountain sculptures was acquired as a permanent collection of Yuko Nii Foundation. Her public installations include “Tree of Life” at Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY, and the large-scale interactive swing sculpture, "Window" at Riverside Park 61st Street, Manhattan, as a part of Model To Monuments Program in 2014-15. And a succeeding swing sculpture "Window II" was exhibited at Rye Town Park, Rye, NY in 2019. In 2020, she collaborated with Korean artist Haksul Lee on a socially engaging art project in the NYC community, "What Is Your Name?" which was made possible by the ArtPort Residency Program at the LaGuardia Airport, Queens, NY, and was selected for The Immigrant Artist Biennial, 2020. Currently it is a permanent collection of the Port Authority of NY and NJ. Her interactive sculpture "Confession" was exhibited in September 2020, at the West 132nd Street Harlem Community Garden of NYC Parks GreenThumb, where she co-founded The Artist Gardener NYC to activate the local communities through artistic and educational events in the gardens.
Artist Statement
I work with various methods and materials. My core interest is to explore the line between two different qualities. Therefore my work often bridges those qualities implying tension, mutuality, rejection, or connection.
Earlier in my career, I focused on expressing my personal and internal visions. However, ever since I started to engage with the public through my art, my focus has shifted more toward communicating with others by giving interactive experiences or throwing questions about preconceived perceptions.
The current state of the world with the pandemic has deepened the desire even more. I started to explore the idea of our beliefs, which I always had concerned growing up. Why we believe what we believe, and how those choices of beliefs are made, and how the beliefs are affecting everything we do.
略歴
東京都出身、早稲田大学第一文学部文芸専修卒業後、ニューヨークに渡り、ジャクソンポロックやアイウェイウェイなど数々の著名アーティストを輩出したアートスチューデンツリーグオブニューヨークにて絵画彫刻などを学び、ネサコーヘン賞など数々の賞を受賞。現在は同校にて金属彫刻の講師を勤める。現在ニューヨークを拠点に制作、主な展示はAffordable Art Fair NYC, Berkeley College Gallery, NYC, Lesley Heller Gallery, NYC, The Center for Contemporary Art Bedminster, NJ, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, NE, また２０１８年にはヴェニスビエンナーレにおいて欧州文化センター主催 “Time Space Existence” 展に出展した。主な大規模な野外彫刻の展示は、ブランコが作品の一部となっている “Window” がRiverside Park, Manhattanにて２０１４から１５年にかけて展示され、その第２作目となる “Window II” がRye Town Park, Ryeにて２０１９から２０年にかけて展示された。２０２０年のコラボレーション作品、“What Is Your Name?” はニューヨークのラガーディア空港で行われたアートポートプログラムにて人々との交流を通じて制作され、同作はニューヨーク・ニュージャージー港湾管理局（Port Authority of NY and NJ）のコレクションとなっている。その他、自身が金属彫刻のディレクターを務めるNY彫刻家協会（Sculptors Alliance, NY）主催の展示のキュレーションも行う。パブリックアートの経験を活かし、現在ハーレムのコミュニティガーデンを拠点にニューヨーク市内多数あるガーデンでアートなど文化的また教育的なイベントを行い地域活性化を計るグループ The Artist Gardener NYC を２０２１年夏に発足した。
Instagram @theartistgardenernyc
Natsuki Takauji was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, currently lives and works in NYC. She is an instructor at The Art Students League of New York, and a director of Metal Sculptures at Sculptors Alliance for which she curated an exhibition "METAL" at Governors Island in 2017 and a virtual exhibition “Flux” in 2020. Solo exhibition venues include Berkeley College Gallery, Manhattan, NY, and Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY. Her recent group exhibitions include "A special Exhibition for 130th Anniversary of National Association of Women Artists" at the Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster NJ in 2019, curated by Jeffrey Wechsler, a senior curator of the Zimmerli Art Museum, and "Time Space Existence" at Palazzo Mora hosted by European Cultural Centre during the 16th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy in 2018. Her work is held as private collections internationally and one of her oil fountain sculptures was acquired as a permanent collection of Yuko Nii Foundation. Her public installations include “Tree of Life” at Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY, and the large-scale interactive swing sculpture, "Window" at Riverside Park 61st Street, Manhattan, as a part of Model To Monuments Program in 2014-15. And a succeeding swing sculpture "Window II" was exhibited at Rye Town Park, Rye, NY in 2019. In 2020, she collaborated with Korean artist Haksul Lee on a socially engaging art project in the NYC community, "What Is Your Name?" which was made possible by the ArtPort Residency Program at the LaGuardia Airport, Queens, NY, and was selected for The Immigrant Artist Biennial, 2020. Currently it is a permanent collection of the Port Authority of NY and NJ. Her interactive sculpture "Confession" was exhibited in September 2020, at the West 132nd Street Harlem Community Garden of NYC Parks GreenThumb, where she co-founded The Artist Gardener NYC to activate the local communities through artistic and educational events in the gardens.
Artist Statement
I work with various methods and materials. My core interest is to explore the line between two different qualities. Therefore my work often bridges those qualities implying tension, mutuality, rejection, or connection.
Earlier in my career, I focused on expressing my personal and internal visions. However, ever since I started to engage with the public through my art, my focus has shifted more toward communicating with others by giving interactive experiences or throwing questions about preconceived perceptions.
The current state of the world with the pandemic has deepened the desire even more. I started to explore the idea of our beliefs, which I always had concerned growing up. Why we believe what we believe, and how those choices of beliefs are made, and how the beliefs are affecting everything we do.
略歴
東京都出身、早稲田大学第一文学部文芸専修卒業後、ニューヨークに渡り、ジャクソンポロックやアイウェイウェイなど数々の著名アーティストを輩出したアートスチューデンツリーグオブニューヨークにて絵画彫刻などを学び、ネサコーヘン賞など数々の賞を受賞。現在は同校にて金属彫刻の講師を勤める。現在ニューヨークを拠点に制作、主な展示はAffordable Art Fair NYC, Berkeley College Gallery, NYC, Lesley Heller Gallery, NYC, The Center for Contemporary Art Bedminster, NJ, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, NE, また２０１８年にはヴェニスビエンナーレにおいて欧州文化センター主催 “Time Space Existence” 展に出展した。主な大規模な野外彫刻の展示は、ブランコが作品の一部となっている “Window” がRiverside Park, Manhattanにて２０１４から１５年にかけて展示され、その第２作目となる “Window II” がRye Town Park, Ryeにて２０１９から２０年にかけて展示された。２０２０年のコラボレーション作品、“What Is Your Name?” はニューヨークのラガーディア空港で行われたアートポートプログラムにて人々との交流を通じて制作され、同作はニューヨーク・ニュージャージー港湾管理局（Port Authority of NY and NJ）のコレクションとなっている。その他、自身が金属彫刻のディレクターを務めるNY彫刻家協会（Sculptors Alliance, NY）主催の展示のキュレーションも行う。パブリックアートの経験を活かし、現在ハーレムのコミュニティガーデンを拠点にニューヨーク市内多数あるガーデンでアートなど文化的また教育的なイベントを行い地域活性化を計るグループ The Artist Gardener NYC を２０２１年夏に発足した。
Instagram @theartistgardenernyc
Contact
takaujinatsuki@gmail.com