Exhibition Overview
When creating this body of artwork, I held a Kōan in my mind.
A Kōan is a question or statement used in Zen practice to provoke deeper understanding.
A Zen master might give his students this Kōan: “You know the sound of two hands clapping; tell me, what is the sound of one hand?”.
Making art is a contemplative act, in my process, I created my own Kōan.
What is it like for water to drop into a space where there is no sound? How does it feel to be in such a place?
I tried to glimpse the space, to feel the movement of the water and the different densities of color.
As the silent drops fall, they expand, moving out from within.
The space vibrates, and the colors have a quiet energy which transports me deeper into the space.
My artistic inner voice whispers to me, and I am seduced by the imagination. I externalize the color, its movement, and the timeless inner place of the canvas.
About
Mayumi Takagi
Born in Fukuoka, Japan, Mayumi Takagi has been active in the New York art scene since 1998.
She is a painter, sculptor and printmaker who explores both representational and abstract themes in her work.
Takagi’s artwork focuses on the joy, mystery and beauty found in life, from household object to the human form. Takagi aspires to stimulate a “conversation” between the viewer and the object or figure portrayed.
Takagi has participated in numerous exhibitions, both in the United States and Internationally. She has received multiple awards notably Frank C. Wright Medal of Honor from The American Artists Professional League, The Medal of Honor from Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, The Chief of Ota Award from Salon Du Blanc, The Michael Ponce de Leon Printmaking Awards, Philip Iseberg Memorial Award from the Salmagundi Club.
Also Takagi is listed in Marquis Who’s Who in American Art.
In 2004, she appeared with her artwork on the Japanese National Public TV Broadcasting Station, NHK and in 2009 was honored to receive the Nessa Cohen Grant.
