Obata Taku
小畑 多丘
In celebration of Japan’s capital city, Tokyo, Japan House London was delighted to display the new sculpture of artist and break dancer Obata Taku in spring 2020, created during his Artist’s Residency at City & Guilds of London Art School.
A graduate from Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo Geidai), Obata Taku’s work explores the tension and dynamism of the human body taking inspiration from his background as a B-Boy. His work investigates the relationship between the human body and clothes through life-size hand carved and coloured wooden figures that express space and power. In addition to his hip-hop inspired work, his series ‘BUTTAI’ (meaning simply ‘object’ in Japanese) takes shape and space to abstraction with photography and motion pictures.
The Shop at Japan House London has displayed his most recent work, created during his one-year long Artist Residency at City & Guilds of London Art School. Japan House London recently spoke to Obata Taku during lockdown with questions posed by our social media followers across the world, keen to know more on his craft and inspiration. Scroll down to see his responses.