Current Exhibition

“Undercurrents” offers an immersive experience with a site-specific window vinyl installation, followed by pockets of intimate story telling through relief printing on paper. Born in Japan, artist Taro Takizawa’s imagery conveys lived experienced since moving to the US in 2002, through associations between the contemporary and personal history, perspective, thought, Japanese heritage and permanent memory.

Taro Takizawa is an artist specializing in printmaking, wall vinyl installations, drawings, and 2D designs. His work blends both Western and Eastern aesthetics, with a deep appreciation for traditional printmaking processes and the art of mark-making. Takizawa is fascinated by the fusion of contemporary studio practices with traditional methods, exploring the boundaries between printmaking and installation art.

Takizawa earned his BFA with a printmaking emphasis from Central Michigan University and completed his MFA in printmaking at Syracuse University in 2017. He has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally at prominent venues such as the Fowler-Kellogg Art Center, PARADOX European Fine Art Forum in Poland, ArtPrize 10 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, LUX Center for the Arts, the China Printmaking Museum, Tyger Tyger Gallery, and Kai Lin Art in Atlanta, GA. He has also participated in several artist residencies, including those at the Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts, Morgan Conservatory, GoggleWorks, and Lawrence Arts Center.

Takizawa currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Artist Statement:

“The past few years my focus has been a relief printing technique with using chipboard as a main material to create a relief block, oppose to woodblock (Shina plywood, MDF, and others) or linoleum sheets which are more common. I am particularly fond of the chipboard because it is 100% recycled material, it is super cheap, and it creates unexpected chatter, or textures on my print. The chance element was perhaps the most welcoming surprise since I was at a point where I had too much control in my work and it was becoming too predictable, and I needed a change. When I started using chipboard, I was also becoming more conscious of reducing the waste in my studio practice.

Nature and memory are a big theme for me (and probably for a lot of other artists). I’m fascinated by the overwhelming patterns, colors and textures the nature offer us (or whoever willing to take time to go out and observe). I document nature by taking photos on my phone, drawing, through dialogue and generally being aware of the surroundings. These documentations will be filtered through my studio practice by drawing, sorting, editing and printing. Other influences are by going to see exhibits at museums and galleries.

www.cargocollective.com/tarotakizawa

For more information: https://linktr.ee/cabartgallery