Kazuki Takizawa: Artist talk & opening reception

Saturday, May 20, 2017
Artist talk: 4pm
Opening Reception: 5pm

Please RSVP: rsvp@craftinamerica.org

Kazuki Takizawa is a Japanese glass artist currently based in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2010. He has since worked and taught at various glass educational facilities including Pilchuck Glass School and Public Glass. For the past dacade, Takizawa has been making work related to mental health and therapy. His most recent glass installation project Breaking the Silence was installed at STARworks Glass Lab in North Carolina to increase awareness on suicide. He has traveled to numerous universities in the country such as Columbus College of Art and Design and San Francisco State University to speak about his work and his experiences with mental illness.

“A significant part of my work is inspired by my experiences with people who have mental illnesses. Through my body of work, I reflect on topics that are still considered taboo in this world today such as suicide, mental disorders and depression. However, beauty of human emotion is almost always stressed. In the United States, suicide is the tenth leading cause of deaths, and its rate has been increasing in the past decade. This public health issue can be improved by simply having more people talk about it and growing a compassionate heart.”

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