Biography
Natsuki completed her Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing at Waseda University. In the course of writing several novels and poems, She 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. She 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. She is always searching for new modes of expression and believes that viewers' visual engagement and physical interaction should be a significant part of them. Her most recent sculpture in collaboration with a visual artist Haksul Lee, "What Is Your Name?" is a socially engaging art project at La Guardia Airport through Art Port Residency program organized by Queens Council on the Arts and funded by the Port Authority of NY and NJ.
In 2014-2015, Natsuki exhibited her first large-scale public sculpture, "Window," on 61st street at Riverside Park South, Manhattan. It was an interactive swing-sculpture. Currently, her second public sculpture, "Window II" is displayed at Rye Town Park, New York, by the Rye beach. They both share the same concept with the functional swing within the sculptural space. It elevates the action of the swing itself to art by creating the outer environment which is a metaphor for our psychological or physical barriers. Viewers are encouraged to swing in and out of there as it's our mobile life that never stays still. She believes that public art is a practice of giving and necessary to enrich the community.
Her oil-fountain sculpture series visually engage 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. Another oil-Fountain sculpture, "Still Life" is a permanent collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation.
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. In the course of writing several novels and poems, She 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. She 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. She is always searching for new modes of expression and believes that viewers' visual engagement and physical interaction should be a significant part of them. Her most recent sculpture in collaboration with a visual artist Haksul Lee, "What Is Your Name?" is a socially engaging art project at La Guardia Airport through Art Port Residency program organized by Queens Council on the Arts and funded by the Port Authority of NY and NJ.
In 2014-2015, Natsuki exhibited her first large-scale public sculpture, "Window," on 61st street at Riverside Park South, Manhattan. It was an interactive swing-sculpture. Currently, her second public sculpture, "Window II" is displayed at Rye Town Park, New York, by the Rye beach. They both share the same concept with the functional swing within the sculptural space. It elevates the action of the swing itself to art by creating the outer environment which is a metaphor for our psychological or physical barriers. Viewers are encouraged to swing in and out of there as it's our mobile life that never stays still. She believes that public art is a practice of giving and necessary to enrich the community.
Her oil-fountain sculpture series visually engage 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. Another oil-Fountain sculpture, "Still Life" is a permanent collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation.
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