Tomoko Takahashi facts for kids

Tomoko Takahashi is a Japanese artist. She was born in Tokyo in 1966. Since the early 1990s, she has lived in London. She went to art schools like Tama Art University, Goldsmiths College, and the Slade School of Fine Art.

What is Installation Art?

Tomoko Takahashi is famous for her installation art. This means she creates art pieces that fill a whole space. She often uses "found objects." These are everyday items people throw away. Her artworks are usually "site-specific." This means they are made just for that one place. She first studied painting. But around 1994, she started loving to work with found objects.

Exhibitions and Awards

Tomoko first became well-known in 1997. She won the EAST award at EASTinternational. Since then, her art has been shown all over the world. She has exhibited her work at places like Beaconsfield in London. Her art was also shown at the Saatchi Gallery in 1999. Other famous places include UCLA's Hammer Gallery and the Serpentine Galleries in London. The Tate museum has also collected her work.

In 2000, she was chosen for the Turner Prize. This is a very important art award. Other artists like Glenn Brown were also nominated. Wolfgang Tillmans won the prize that year.

How Tomoko Creates Art

Tomoko has a special way of making her art. Especially for her installation pieces, she spends time in the space. She collects scraps and bits of trash from that exact spot. She then uses these items in her final artwork. These art scenes might look messy at first. But Tomoko pays great attention to every small detail. This careful work is a key part of her art.

Her first artwork like this was called Company Deal (1997). For this piece, she used waste from an office. The art spilled over the walls and furniture. An advertising agency in Battersea asked her to create Company Deal for their office.

Other Artworks

Besides her large installations, Tomoko's art has been sold. Famous auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's have sold her pieces. This includes her installations. But it also includes prints and mixed media wall art. She also created a series of artworks called "An Occasional Table."