Biography
Natsuki completed her Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing at Waseda University, where internationally acclaimed writers such as Haruki Murakami and Yoko Tawada studied. In the course of writing several novels and poems, Natsuki discovered her serious interest in seeking forms that transcend linguistic expressions. She moved to New York in 2008 to pursue her career as an artist. She studied drawing, painting, and sculpture at The Art Students League of New York. In 2011, she participated in the international Affordable Art Fair NYC with her abstract geometric painting series, which were inspired by the elements of the Japanese flag. Her paintings soon became much more sculptural and freely shaped, using only painted canvases; the resulting pieces were exhibited in her first solo exhibition at the Berkeley College Gallery in 2012. At the time, Natsuki realized her need to find methods to create three-dimensional forms in a more spontaneous and flexible way – welding metal rods. Natsuki uses this method to allow undiscovered imagery in space to eventually become “something” by adding and subtracting, just like editing a poem. In a very internal and personal editing process, she puts vestigial pieces of memories together to create an assimilated abstract imagery. Natsuki is always searching for new modes of expression and believes that viewers’ visual engagement and physical interaction should be a significant part of them.
In 2014-2015, Natsuki has exhibited her first large-scale public sculpture, “Window,” on 61st street at Riverside Park South, Manhattan. It was an interactive swing-sculpture; viewers could swing from inside to outside of the sculpture, looking over the Hudson River. Currently, she is working on “Window II,” which will be installed in Rye Town Park New York by the Atlantic Ocean.
Her oil-fountain sculpture series visually engages viewers with its infinite, mesmerizing movement and sound generated from the sculpture. One of them, “Fatal, Fertile,” was inspired by Asian religious symbols and eroticism; it was on view during the International 16th Venice Architecture Biennale at Palazzo Mora, Venice, Italy.
Natsuki has also exhibited in numerous places, such as Noho Gallery, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, The Center for Contemporary Art Bedminster, Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, and more. Her first curatorial exhibition, "METAL," was organized by Sculptors Alliance, Inc. and showcased in Governors Island, New York in 2018. She is currently an instructor of Metal Sculpture at The Art Students League of New York.
Natsuki completed her Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing at Waseda University, where internationally acclaimed writers such as Haruki Murakami and Yoko Tawada studied. In the course of writing several novels and poems, Natsuki discovered her serious interest in seeking forms that transcend linguistic expressions. She moved to New York in 2008 to pursue her career as an artist. She studied drawing, painting, and sculpture at The Art Students League of New York. In 2011, she participated in the international Affordable Art Fair NYC with her abstract geometric painting series, which were inspired by the elements of the Japanese flag. Her paintings soon became much more sculptural and freely shaped, using only painted canvases; the resulting pieces were exhibited in her first solo exhibition at the Berkeley College Gallery in 2012. At the time, Natsuki realized her need to find methods to create three-dimensional forms in a more spontaneous and flexible way – welding metal rods. Natsuki uses this method to allow undiscovered imagery in space to eventually become “something” by adding and subtracting, just like editing a poem. In a very internal and personal editing process, she puts vestigial pieces of memories together to create an assimilated abstract imagery. Natsuki is always searching for new modes of expression and believes that viewers’ visual engagement and physical interaction should be a significant part of them.
In 2014-2015, Natsuki has exhibited her first large-scale public sculpture, “Window,” on 61st street at Riverside Park South, Manhattan. It was an interactive swing-sculpture; viewers could swing from inside to outside of the sculpture, looking over the Hudson River. Currently, she is working on “Window II,” which will be installed in Rye Town Park New York by the Atlantic Ocean.
Her oil-fountain sculpture series visually engages viewers with its infinite, mesmerizing movement and sound generated from the sculpture. One of them, “Fatal, Fertile,” was inspired by Asian religious symbols and eroticism; it was on view during the International 16th Venice Architecture Biennale at Palazzo Mora, Venice, Italy.
Natsuki has also exhibited in numerous places, such as Noho Gallery, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, The Center for Contemporary Art Bedminster, Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, and more. Her first curatorial exhibition, "METAL," was organized by Sculptors Alliance, Inc. and showcased in Governors Island, New York in 2018. She is currently an instructor of Metal Sculpture at The Art Students League of New York.
Contact
takaujinatsuki@gmail.com