Koji Takei

Cello

2020

Koji Takei works reference synthetic cubism in the most literal of senses. In cubist artworks, the objects are broken up, analyzed and re-assembled in abstracted form. These pieces...

Creating sculptures of exquisite peculiarity is an art in which Takei excels. His elegantly crafted works embody the notion of the whimsical, contradictory and idiosyncratic. There is an immediately detectable sense of humor and quick wit about the sculptures in this exhibition. Beyond playfulness, however, Takei’s aim is to challenge the viewer to alter the way in which they look at reality. Taking cues from the Surrealists of the early 20th century, Takei transforms the mundane into the fantastic - and sometimes absurd. His work is a constant inquiry into the meaning of functionality and the perception of purpose. Much like Man Ray’s iconic readymade sculpture, The Gift (1921), and Meret Oppenheim’s infamous fur-covered teacup (Object, 1936), Takei recontextualizes those pragmatic objects that we immediately recognize. With his piece Soft Shoulders (2011), Takei deconstructs a wooden clothes hanger...

Copper and wood box. "Americordo #7" is composed of copper tiles inlaid to the bottom half of the box and on the top rests a patinated etched copper or bronze circle. The box when closed measures to be 17" Sq. x 3.5" H. David Barr (1939-2015) is an American sculptor and painter from Detroit, MI. Known for constructivist sculpture, architecture and surrealist, assemblage box sculpture collage works. Born in 1939, Barr is an internationally known artists and has created many installations in natural settings. Vault took over a year to complete. His sculptures represent mathematics, geography and structurist nature, and otherwise known as "geo-structures." This one is kinetic and can be moved around. Barr is a graduate of Wayne State University and recipient of the WSU Distinguished Alumni Award. Influenced by sculptor Charles Biederman. In 1995 he founded the Michigan Legacy Art Park, and has pieces at the Chrysler World Headquarters, Flint's Bishop Airport, the Detroit Zoo, the State of Michigan Historical Museum and the Meadowbrook Festival Grounds Barr earned a master’s of fine arts degree from Wayne State University and was an associate professor of sculpture at Macomb Community College in Warren for 37 years. He worked on perhaps the largest sculpture in the world, the Four Corners Project, with installations at Greenland, Africa, Irian Jaya (New Guinea) and Easter Island. His sculptures are located all over the state of Michigan, but perhaps his most recognizable is Transcending, a blend of bronze, steel and granite that acknowledges the contributions of Detroit’s laborers and skilled tradespeople. David Barr is the founder of Michigan Legacy Art Park. David’s career as an artist, instructor, author and global thinker has crossed borders around the world, bringing people and ideas together. Over fifty years as a sculptor, David created a body of work that includes hundreds of wall-hanging structurist reliefs, sculptures for public spaces (such as Transcending in Hart Plaza, Detroit done with Sergio De Giusti), works for private collections, massive global projects (such as The Four Corners Project) and Michigan Legacy Art Park. David’s studio was in Detroit for fifteen years until he realized he needed nature as a source of inspiration. In 1977 he bought 4 acres of land in rural Oakland County (now Novi) and in 1979 built his home, a contemporary structure that has become the centerpiece of his own art park. His work is included in the collection of outdoor sculptures at The Dennos Museum Center along with Clement Meadmore, Hanna Stiebel...

ULISES JIMENEZ "BAJISTA" METAL, SIGNED COSTA RICA, 2023 32.25 INCHES Ulises Jiménez Obregón was born in La Mansion de Nicoya, Costa Rica, in November 1953. He studied Plas...