Haley Takahashi

Haley Takahashi is a Japanese American artist based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. She is an MFA Candidate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received a BFA in printmaking from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2019.

Her focus is in contemporary printmaking methods combined with traditional Japanese imagery, symbolism, and craft. She strives to comprehend her own identity as a mixed race person as well as her family history and the importance of juxtaposing the past to the present to incite social change.

Can you tell us a bit about the process of making your work?

I am always a few steps ahead of myself when it comes to my artistic practice. First and foremost, I’m a printmaker. When I start a new project I am always thinking about the printmaking process that would best fit and the materials needed to make it happen. After many stages of sketching and planning, usually in Procreate on an iPad, I bring it to the paper or fabric. My kimono work starts in a similar way. I think about how I can bring print into a 3 dimensional space and run from there. Printmaking is both meditative and mentally demanding. In the end its always an abundant labor of love.

Haley Takahashi, Nagajuban, 2021. Monotype and watercolor, 39 in. x 56 in.

What are you working on at the moment?

Currently I’m participating in multiple print exchanges as well as chairing a panel on time based art and print for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s “Remote Contact” Print symposium.

I am also working on a monotype kimono in collaboration with Koichi Kamamoto for my graduate printmaking studio class.

There is a clear art historical connection between your prints and ukiyo-e prints from early 19th century Japan. What role does art history play in your work?

Art History is my first love. I knew I wanted to be an artist when I got to see Botticelli’s Primavera at the Uffizi in Florence when I was 12. Soon after, I became infatuated with Japanese Ukiyo-e. I felt a deep resonance with the artform that was so purely Japanese and striking in its style. I saw myself in the prints and felt pride in the representation they provided. Ukiyo-e is a touchstone for my work. By bringing its recognizable style into contemporary settings I create a space for my own mixed-race identity. The two prints in “Multitudes” are based off a series by Utamaro Kitagawa “12 Hours at the Yoshiwara”. His prints depict the hours of the day of courtesans and geisha of Edo’s red light district. They are highly intimate scenes meant to give the (male) audience a glimpse into the lives of these women. With my prints I am asking what it would be like to see the intimate parts of my daily existence. I am referencing my liminal identity as well as talking frankly about mental illness and isolation due to COVID-19. Context is extremely important to my work and art history provides another layer of history and meaning that cannot be dismissed.

What are some references you draw upon in your work? Are there any themes in particular that you like to focus on when creating?

Of course, Utamaro and Ukiyo-e are major influences. The subject matter of my work is based in personal experience and family history. My grandparents were imprisoned during Japanese Internment and that intergenerational trauma effects the work I do. Recently, I have been inspired by Japanese folklore, kabuki theater, and dreams. Themes of mental illness have come to the forefront due to the current state of the world, it is another extension of my exploration of self and history.

Where are some of your favorite spaces that support contemporary art or design? Now that the art has an online presence has that changed?

I am currently an MFA candidate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The university has been one of my biggest supporters as well as a huge center for creative pursuits during this bizarre time. I am grateful that I have a space to continue making art and the access interacting with other creative people.

As earthshattering as the pandemic has been, I am astonished by the resilience of the art community. I feel that the new presence of art online has forever changed the way we interact with art. I have been given so many amazing opportunities due to virtual exhibition. The reach is unparalleled, people all over the world can view a virtual exhibition and interact in ways that would be impossible before. It is so lovely that my parents, who live in Colorado, can see a show I’m in from the comfort of their home. Spaces like Project Gallery V are the future of the art scene! I’m so excited to see how online exhibitions grow.

Do you have any shows coming up? Anything else you would like to share?

I will be curating an exchange portfolio titled “Spaces Between” (No relation to the Dave Matthews Band song) in collaboration with UTK’s “Remote Contact” print symposium. The portfolio will be on view @The_Spaces_Between_Exchange on Instagram.

I am defined by my family’s history of internment, if you are interested in being an ally to the Japanese American community I highly recommend following and supporting Tsuru For Solidarity, @tsuruforsolidarity on Instagram. They aim to be the ally that Japanese American didn’t have during interment for marginalized groups and countless social issues. They are doing really great work.

Haley Takahashi’s work is included in our show “Multitudes,” March 1st - April 30th. Visit her website or Instagram (@haleytokiko) to see more of her work.

Zachary Carlisle Davidson

Joanna Cortez

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