Taku Obata - sculptures in motion
Born in 1980, Taku Obata is a Japanese artist currently based out of Saitama prefecture. He graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts [Geidai], one of the most prestigious arts institutions in Japan, and he is primarily known for his sculptures that are heavily inspired by hip-hop dance and b-boy culture although he also does other forms like illustration, photography, and videography.
The influence he takes from those cultures also runs deeper than just being inspiration, with him also having an actual dance crew called Unityselections back in the 90s. Having a proper background and deep knowledge over the subculture he does his art on really allows him to breathe an authentic feel towards all of his work.
His preferred sculpting medium is usually wood, and he focuses on really encapsulating and expressing the motion that b-boy’s have even if the sculptures themselves are stationary objects.
His work involves highly stylised and somewhat geometric characters that take on design cues from classic b-boy style like matching tracksuits, bucket hats, and puffer jackets. In addition, another notable point about Obata’s work is that he also still mostly hand-carves his sculptures using traditional Japanese carving tools that he himself still maintains.
He usually begins his process by doing an initial rough-carving on a singular wooden block before eventually doing all the details by hand.
