In My Living Room | Takashi Iwasaki

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Takashi Iwasaki, “In My Living Room,” 2024

(courtesy of the Gallery)

Opening Reception: Friday, May 17, 5:00 to 8:00 pm

In My Living Room captures a snapshot of my ongoing exploration of pleasure through the creation of tangible objects intended for an intimate, domestic environment—like a personal living room. Engaging with clay, newly discovered, has infused my creative process with fresh challenges and joy. My passion is deeply embedded in each object I craft, yet my primary interest currently lies in the mass of objects that collectively transform into the environment itself.

This exhibition features maquettes, prototypes, and works in progress—each a product of attempts, failures, and successes that I see as holding potential for further development. The lack of appropriate plinths and platforms for displaying my ceramic sculptures led me to design and create functional pieces that double as stools and tables.

At the core of my venture is a deep-seated indulgence in satisfying my creativity, which brings me immense pleasure. While expressions, processes, and perceptions may vary, I hope the audience can experience a sense of pleasure and joy as well. In My Living Room might not represent the most functional or conventional environment for everyday life, but it closely mirrors the type of space I find myself drawn to periodically—at least in this current moment of my life. As everything is subject to change and nothing remains static, capturing these fleeting moments is where I find my greatest pleasure.

Born in Japan (1982), Takashi Iwasaki has been based in Winnipeg for the past 20 years. Primarily working with painting, embroidery, woodworking, and large-scale public artworks in the past, he discovered clay while in the Master of Fine Art program at the University of Manitoba. With its unique malleability and materiality, clay provides a new means to express his world and vision. In the short and temporary life, Iwasaki's main interest is to capture pleasurable moments through his artworks.