Artist Statement
As a person who is filled with many different emotions, most of my work is cathartic self-expression. In expressing my emotions, I seek to connect with others and evoke a sense of familiarity and fellowship.
A significant part of my work is inspired by my experiences with people who have mental illnesses. Through my body of work, I reflect on topics that are still considered taboo in this world today such as suicide, mental disorders and depression. However, beauty of human emotion is almost always stressed. In the United States, suicide is the tenth leading cause of deaths, and its rate has been increasing in the past decade. This public health issue can be improved by simply having more people talk about it and growing a compassionate heart.
One objective of my journey as an artist is to produce visual cues for people to better understand mental disorders. A significant portion of my work is influenced by the texture and shape of shells, as well as its connotation of protectiveness, privacy and individuality.
Having first hand experience with bipolar disorder, the ups and the downs are part of who I am. The harmonization of the radically different, such as, violence and meditation, spontaneity and meticulousness, and destruction and repair is found in the process, as well as the result of my work.
-CV (PDF Format)
(Link to Dropbox Folder. All images are available for download, and they are labeled with the title of work and name of photographer)
Upcoming Events
Public Speaking - Southern District conference for Venice Buddhist Temple (Los Angeles, CA) on October 6th, 2018
Teaching Workshop at Urban Glass (Brooklyn, NY in July 2018)
Teaching Workshop at Pittsburgh Glass Center (Pittsburgh, PA) in July 2018
Gaffer (Crafts Person in Residence) at Pilchuck Glass School in August 2018
Solo Exhibition at River House Arts Gallery (Toledo, OH) in March 2019
Contact Information:
Website: www.kazukitakizawa.com
Email: info@kazukitakizawa.com
Phone: 808-371-8629 (Los Angeles, CA)
Co
Press Kit
(Updated May 2018)
Kazuki Takizawa's work has received critical acclaim from sources such as NBC Asian America, VoyageLA Magazine, and Urban Glass Hotsheet. In this section, you can find reviews of Takizawa's artwork, obtain high-resolution images, and gain insight into his history creating artwork.
Biography
Kazuki Takizawa was born and raised in Hong Kong. Growing up within the community of Japanese residents in Hong Kong, and attending high school in Bangkok, Thailand has given him a unique cultural background. Despite his exposure to many cultures, he only mainly spoke Japanese in his childhood. His feeling of inability to communicate with everyone became a strong force behind his creation as he discovered art as a way of expression.
Takizawa first experienced shaping molten glass at the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in glass art and graduated with High Honors in 2010. He has since worked and taught at various glass educational facilities including Pilchuck Glass School (Stanwood, Washington), First City Art Center (Pensacola, FL) and Public Glass (San Francisco, CA). For the past decade, Takizawa has been making work in glass to speak about his personal experiences with mental illness. His most recent glass installation art, In Between Light and Shadow, was installed at STARworks Glass Lab in North Carolina to bring awareness on mental illness and suicide. He has traveled extensively in the past few years doing artist residencies, teaching workshops and offering public speaking events to talk about his experiences with mental illness.
Takizawa is currently based in Los Angeles, California where he runs his company KT Glassworks and makes his work in glass.
