Kazuki Takizawa: Catharsis Contained

“The harmonization of the radically different, such as, violence and meditation, spontaneity and meticulousness, and destruction and repair is found in the process, as well as the result of my work.”

Los Angeles artist Kazuki Takizawa elucidates human emotions in the shimmering, fragile form of glass. Passion, turmoil, self-expression and mental health are driving forces behind Takizawa’s articulate approach to sculpture. Takizawa uses blown and shaped glass to shed light on the darkness that can overwhelm those who face depression, disorder and mental illness in their lives. His powerful bulbous shapes and vessels encapsulate these taboo topics and provide a personal catharsis to the artist.

Takizawa uses the vessel as a conceptual launching point for capturing and protecting feelings. The immaterial yet overpowering feelings that individuals experience fill these glasses to the point at which they overflow. These misshapen and vibrant containers symbolically hold sensations within and defy conventions. His deliberately flawed goblet-like forms derive from the finest Venetian formal tradition, which Takizawa interprets masterfully. Takizawa finds the beauty within endurance and gives it a new externalized shape.

This exhibition will feature a body of work that explores the nature and ancient history of the container, in this case, reinvented as a psychological metaphor. Predominantly consisting of bronze and amber glass forms, Takizawa will scatter bursts of color throughout this emotive and arresting group.

Kazuki Takizawa: Catharsis Contained, Craft in America window
Craft in America window
Kazuki Takizawa: Catharsis Contained, Craft in America window
Craft in America window
Kazuki Takizawa, Breaking the Silence II (detail), 2016-2017, Catharsis Contained
Breaking the Silence II (detail), 2016-2017
Kazuki Takizawa, The Minimalist Series, 2016-2017, Catharsis Contained
The Minimalist Series, 2016-2017. Blown glass
Kazuki Takizawa, The Minimalist Series, 2016-2017
The Minimalist Series, 2016-2017
Kazuki Takizawa
Kazuki Takizawa Catharsis Contained Acorn Wall Work
The Cocoon Series I, 2017
Kazuki Takizawa Catharsis Contained Acorn Wall Work
The Cocoon Series II, 2017
Kazuki Takizawa Catharsis Contained Acorn Wall Work
The Cocoon Series III, 2017
Kazuki Takizawa, Phoenix from the Container Series, 2017, Catharsis Contained
Phoenix from the Container Series, 2017
Kazuki Takizawa, Blue Single from the Container Series, 2017, Catharsis Contained
Blue Single from the Container Series, 2017
Kazuki Takizawa, Handle Wings, 2017. Blown glass, Catharsis Contained, Craft in America
Handle Wings, 2017. Blown glass
Kazuki Takizawa, Grey and Amber from the Container Series, blown and shaped glass, 2017
Grey and Amber from the Container Series, blown and shaped glass, 2017
Kazuki Takizawa, Grey and Amber from the Container Series, blown and shaped glass, 2017
Grey and Amber from the Container Series, blown and shaped glass, 2017
Kazuki Takizawa, Gold Topaz Handle Wings from the Container Series, 2017
Gold Topaz Handle Wings from the Container Series, 2017
Kazuki Takizawa, Gold Topaz Handle Wings from the Container Series (detail), 2017
Gold Topaz Handle Wings from the Container Series (detail), 2017
Kazuki Takizawa, Gold Ruby, 2017. Blown glass, Catharsis Contained
Gold Ruby, 2017. Blown glass
Kazuki Takizawa, Gold Ruby, 2017. Blown glass, Catharsis Contained
Gold Ruby (detail), 2017. Blown glass
Kazuki Takizawa, Alabaster and Lagoon Feathers, 2017. Blown glass, Catharsis Contained
Alabaster and Lagoon Feathers (detail), 2017. Blown glass

Photos by Madison Metro