Lena Takamori finds the inspiration for her works in everyday life. In the sculpture “Shell”, a woman bends down to tie her shoe. In the process, the weight of the backpack seems to weigh on her back as the “whole weight of the world”. Viewers can interpret the sculpture as a metaphor for the burdens women have to carry.
In the full-length figures “Fishmonger”, “Wader” and “Bath”, the artist focuses on posture and mark-making. In these works, the subtle drawing and brush marks are in the foreground and contribute to the impact of the works. Exceedingly present, they are in spatial dialogue with the world.
Through the use of a broad brush in the drawing of “Woman With Hairnet”, “Woman With Bun” and “Waking”, when we look at them we perceive a blurring that our eye tries to sharpen/enhance. These works intend to unite the emotional expression of a landscape with that of the human face. Despite their presence, they elude total appropriation and retain their mystery.
In “Cloud”, the work evolved as it was created, rather than through a preconceived idea. Initially, Lena Takamori was interested in the fingerprints and the feeling of movement. Eventually, the fingerprints became rain, as she remembered a summer day when she saw rain clouds passing over a body of water.
The landscapes “Mouth”, “Willow” and “Green Landscape” seek to capture the human gaze, inviting viewers to enter the spaces in thought, to walk through them, and thus to have an experience – albeit an imaginary one – of protective shelter.
Lena Takamori follows her own artistic path, regardless of current trends in the art circus. Her works are convincing because of their independence and the high artistic quality in both sculpture and painting. This is another reason why I represent her work in my gallery.
Hanspeter Dähler
Statement
- Prying open a mouth, prying open a fist. Inside? A piece of thread, a chip of paint. What’s the big deal? Why all the tears? These things are not so valuable or interesting.
- Something held in darkness forcefully brought to light – It’s enough to make a baby cry.
- I was surprised the first time – I had expected the baby’s mouth to be soft and pliant, but it was sealed like a fist.
- She carries a shadow in her mouth.
- An oyster would open on its own, but not while held in a dishcloth. I hear they are calibrated to the moon, only opening into the night’s watery darkness.
- One shadow opening into another, that makes sense. An easy osmosis, an unfurling in the dark. Touching your own eyes to see if they are open or closed.
Lena Takamori
Biography
- 1990, born in Seattle, USA, lives and works in Bristol
- 2011, Kyoto Seika University, International Exchange
- 2012, Arts Letter and Numbers, Art & Architecture Workshop, Albany, NY
BFA, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, NewYork
Awards
- 2008, Woman in Film Scholarship
The Cooper Union For Advancement of Science and Art Full Tuition
Scholarship
- 2011, Helen Dubroff Dorfman Travel Scholarship for study in Germany
- 2012, The Elliot Lash Memorial Prize for Excellence in Sculpture
- 2015, Robert W. Simpson Fellowship
Public collections
- Musée Ariana, Geneva