Koji Takei

Tree of Souls

2012

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...

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...

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...

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...

By Heiko Weiner This hand-carved wooden sculpture is made out of a solid piece of sugar maple foraged by the artist. It is named "Perseverance" because of the holes in the wood, bur...

"Hats" by Heiko Weiner represents an intersection between art and mathematics. This abstract wall sculpture utilizes  a 13 sided shape known as "The Hat," discovered by mathematician...

Viga 2 is a sculpture by contemporary artist Tom Price. This sculpture is made of resin, tar, steel, wood, dimensions are 135 × 45 × 45 cm (53.1 × 17.7 × 17.7 in). The Viga series marks a new phase in Tom Price's artistic journey, focusing on the use of ancient, natural materials—specifically, 15th-century wooden...

Without Bonds is a unique Portland limestone, stainless steel on beech wood base sculpture by contemporary artist Peter Brooke-Ball, dimensions are 51 × 26 × 20.5 cm (20.1 × 10.2 × 8...