Photography: Rob Brander
Words: Reina Flynn
Layout: Rob Brander
Copyright: William Turner Gallery
TURNER GALLERY
WILLIAM
KOJI TAKEI INTERTWINED
WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY
Composition
2, 2021, wood, metal & paint, 16” x 43” x 4.5”
Composition 1 , 2021, wood, metal & paint, 30” x 10” x 3”
KOJI TAKEI
Koji Takei, the sculptor acclaimed for his unique synthesis of Analytic and Synthetic Cubism unveils his latest exhibition titled Intertwined.
Intertwined is a testament to Takei’s mastery, where the Cubist and Surrealist traditions are re-appropriated in tongue-in-cheek fashion. Takei meticulously deconstructs and then reconstructs everyday objects creating illusions to the ghost of their histories. He re-interprets the objects with fragmenting in order to shift perception. The whimsical impressions are singular in their idiosyncratic phrasing, where the objects begin to lose their identity and intended purpose through brilliant technical skill and vision.
Through his background in photography and graphic design, Takei first began piecemealing his disparate photographs (pre-Photoshop) and constructing them into sculptures to be photographed. This in turn, led to Takei becoming a sculptor.
Drawing from the discourse of Picasso, Braque and the Surrealists, Takei’s sculptures
INTERTWINED
reference, yet expand upon these oeuvres in a playful syncretism of the two. His work transcends the cacophony often associated with Cubism, offering a vocabulary suffused with irony. that engages in the contemplation of diverging vantage-points in-the-round. The minimal yet commanding presence of his pieces draws parallel to the interlocking sculptures of the late Isamu Noguchi, echoing a profound artistic resonance. Through Intertwined, Koji Takei continues to redefine the boundaries of Cubism. As much as Takei’s pieces are Cubist in nature there is also an unmistakable Asian influence in the working method of the Japanese native.
As a Japanese-American residing in Los Angeles, Takei’s influence extends far beyond his innovative work. He has taught at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California; Otis College of Art & Design in Los Angeles, and is currently a faculty member at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and Academy of Art University in San Francisco. This underscores his commitment to shaping the next generation of artistic visionaries.
Zoom, wood, stone, feathers & stain, 27” x 31” x 1.5”
Tin Tiles with Rods, 2020, tin, wood & latex paint, 47” x 25” x 4”
Composition 5, 2021, wood, metal and enamel paint, 31” x 15” x 4”
Composition 3, 2021, wood, metal & paint, 41” x 18” x 4”
Wood Panels with Dowels, 2020, wood, 19” x 61” x 4”
Cello & Trombone, 2020, wood, stain & varnish on metal stand, 47” x 20” x 10”(including stand)
Cello, 2020, wood, stains & varnish on metal stand, 53” x 14” x 7” (including stand)
Untitled (cello) , 2020, wood, stains & varnish on metal 49” x 16” x 7” (including stand)
Composition 7, 2021, wood, 16” x 51” x 3”
Guitar 9 , 2023, wood & stain, 35” x 12” x 5”
eGuitar, wood, stain, & varnish, 37” x 14” x 4”
Composition 6, 2021, wood, 18” x 48” x 3”
Dorothy’s Chair, 2022, wood & stains, 57” x 23” x 3”
Composition 4, 2021, wood, metal, charcoal, and enamel paint, 22” x 15” x 4”
KOJI TAKEI
Koji Takei is an artist, photographer, and graphic designer living and working in Los Angeles, California. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Takei graduated from California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita, California with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1978. During the 80s and 90s, he owned and operated a graphic design firm in Los Angeles serving clients from corporate and entertainment fields. His mixed-medium work has been exhibited in numerous galleries in Southern California and is currently represented by William Turner Gallery in Santa Monica. Takei has taught courses at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Since 2003, he has been a faculty member at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.
WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY
KOJI TAKEI
SELECTED CV
Birthplace
Tokyo, Japan
Education
1978 Bachelor of Fine Arts
California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
Solo Exhibitions
2016 Idiosyncrasy
William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2014 Resonance
William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2013 Hand in Hand
William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2010 New Works
William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2008 Isometry
Robert Berman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2006 New Works
Berman/Turner Projects, Santa Monica, CA
2004 Mottosynthesis
Robert Berman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2003 Staying Afloat
Robert Berman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2001 Tools of the Trade
Robert Berman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2000 Recent Works
William Turner Gallery, Venice, CA
1997 Solo Exhibition
William Turner Gallery, Venice, CA
1994 Musubitsuki
George J. Doizaki Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2016 Familiar Strangers
Carrington Arts, Sandusky, OH
2014 A Book Between Two Stools
Villa Empain, Brussels, Belgium
2009 Dreams to Dreams
Japanese American National Museum. Los Angeles, CA
2007 The Toy Show
Hunsaker/Schlesinger Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA
2006 Omage
Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2006 Art of Design
El Camino College, Los Angeles, CA
2002 A Thousand Clowns
Robert Berman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2002 Group Exhibition
Debra Owen Gallery, San Diego, CA
2000 Grace in Space
College of the Canyons Gallery, Santa Clarita, CA
1995 Primarily Small Works
Hunsaker/Schlesinger Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA
1994 Shapes of Things to Come
Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
1988 American Japanese Artists
George J. Doizaki Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Academic Experiences
2003-19 Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
2010-11 Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA
2000-07 Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles, CA
1993-94 Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, CA
WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY
WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY