Renowned Hawaii-born artist Toshiko Takaezu’s groundbreaking ceramic works will be the focus of a major retrospective at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, Queens next month. The exhibition, titled “Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within,” will showcase over 150 pieces spanning seven decades of Takaezu’s career. Co-curated by art historian Glenn Adamson, museum curator Kate Wiener, and composer Leilehua Lanzilotti, the exhibit will feature Takaezu’s signature “closed forms” and multimedia installations that incorporate ceramics, textiles, and paintings.
Visitors to the exhibit will have the opportunity to explore Takaezu’s innovative approach to ceramics, including her use of sound by placing dried clay fragments within her vessels to create musical rattles. Lanzilotti, a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in music, has developed videos that offer insight into the sonic elements of Takaezu’s work, allowing visitors to experience the rattles firsthand through an interactive display.
The retrospective will also include a 368-page monograph published in collaboration with Yale University Press. The exhibition will run from March 20 to July 28 at the Noguchi Museum. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to delve into the world of Toshiko Takaezu and experience the magic of her “closed forms” firsthand.