KWR founder & director

Takaya's works has a significance way beyond its role as just art. It bridges the fields of traditional and contemporary Japanese art with western influences, communicating by questioning, making our everyday things become alive.
The impermanent beauty of a flower or Read more...

KWR founder & director

Takaya's works has a significance way beyond its role as just art. It bridges the fields of traditional and contemporary Japanese art with western influences, communicating by questioning, making our everyday things become alive.
The impermanent beauty of a flower or a tree leaf is often captured in his drawing. Salt is the principal element of purification and longevity for his work. It is not restrained by the boundaries of his canvas and goes beyond becoming sculpture - a life performance or video.

Born and bread in Kyoto, a city of Japanese traditions and culture heritage, Takaya studied at Kyoto City Fine Art University, where he obtained his postgraduate qualifications.
It was during his study times that he visited Europe for the first time, when he began to develop a strong interest in cross-cultural understanding through art.
After graduation, Takaya embarked on a series of trips outside Japan, with the aspiration to meet and share artistic knowledge with his counterparts. Since then, Takaya has built meaningful, long-lasting, friendships around the world, becoming not only the core of his art, but also his way of life.

Amongst many artistic achievements and awards, Takaya obtained a year Scholarship from the Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs in 1995, to study at Dusseldorf Kunst Akademie, where he studied under Prof Konrad Klapheck's wing. His artistic achievements and his interest to learn art through other cultures convinced Prof Klapheck to invite Takaya as his guess student for another three years. It was then that Takaya developed the idea of creating an art centre in his hometown, Kyoto, as an international artist hub. In 1999, Kyoto-Weissraum was born as a non-profitable, art organization, aiming to build bridges between Japanese and International Artists and Art-Institutions. Since then, the art-center has worked in several exchange research programmes with international institutions and made its facilities accessible to local and international artists.

To learn about Takaya's present and past projects and artworks please go to:TAKAYA's WALKS