#InTheLoop | Noguchi Museum Hosts Exhibit on a Prolific, Creative Japanese-American Artist (Not Him)
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Born to Japanese parents in Hawaii, Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) was a painter, sculptor, and weaver whose unique artistic style melded two countries, two continents, and two cultures. One of the most famous ceramic artists in the art world during the 1950s and 1960s, she’s also known as a teacher and creator of round clay objects that straddle the line between functional and decorative.
Learn more about her life and career via Worlds Within, which is on display at The Noguchi Museum from Wednesday, March 20, to Sunday, July 28.
With about 200 works from private and public collections, the retrospective shows the evolution of Takaezu’s practice and reframes her as one of the most compelling, innovative American artists of the last century.
General admission is $16, but seniors and students can attend for $6.
To represent Takaezu’s evolution, Worlds Within presents a series of installations loosely inspired by ones that she created. Items run from a set table of functional wares from the early 1950s to an immersive constellation of monumental ceramic forms from the late 1990s to early 2000s.
The exhibition includes ceramic sculptures including her signature closed forms (i.e. Moons, Garden Seats, Trees) and monumental works from her masterpiece, the Star Series. It also features Takaezu’s vibrant and gestural acrylic paintings and weavings — many of which have rarely been seen — as well as a bronze bell.
Videos, programs, and an interactive installation so patrons can explore interior soundscapes firsthand are also part of Worlds Within. Actually, sound plays an important role because many of Takaezu’s closed ceramic forms contain unseen “rattles.” Composer, sound artist, and exhibition co-curator Leilehua Lanzilotti (a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in music) is developing a concert program, a stand-alone video installation, and a series of demonstration videos centered on sound in Takaezu’s works.
Located at 9-01 33rd Rd. in Long Island City, Noguchi Museum is across the street from where Isamu Noguchi had a studio. The prolific artist (1904-1988) created sculptures, gardens, furniture and lighting designs, ceramics, architecture, landscapes, and set designs. His father was a Japanese poet and his mother was a white woman from Brooklyn, and — similar to Takaezu — his art reflects the two cultures.
Worlds Within, which will travel around the United States, is organized by The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum with assistance from the Toshiko Takaezu Foundation and the Takaezu family. Lanzilotti co-curated the show with Noguchi Museum Curator Kate Wiener and art historian Glenn Adamson. It was conceived and developed with former Noguchi Senior Curator Dakin Hart.
Images: Noguchi Museum