Mikako Takai

Artist Statement: 
In a society where objects are easily discarded or replaced, my work aims to put significance back into everyday objects and suggest deeper thought behind actions of making and using. I carefully create handmade creature dolls referencing craft through the use of salvaged fabrics to invite viewers to consider the value of the material. Familiar colors and patterns of fabric create a feeling of nostalgia and the home, which is contrasted with the dolls’ lack of actual heads that are instead replaced with masks. The work assigns a character to the mass of salvaged fabric and causes the discarded material to have significance, but the apparent process used to create the dolls and their lack of expression point out that each doll is in fact an object rather than a living creature. The Japanese cultural references in their designs add my own personal background into my work, but also imply the idea of object significance that is common in traditional folklore. A deeper narrative behind the dolls are hinted through my illustrations, but represent more than a happy childhood nostalgia. Viewers are invited to dwell on how and why the creatures assign significance to their surroundings as well as how people see them as either living organisms interacting with their environment or jut objects that are commodities. The illustrations imply an ominous presence as well as a whimsical feel to the objects and creatures that rub off onto the dolls, which exist as a physical object sharing a common space as the viewer. Whether or not their presence is hostile or friendly is decided by the viewer.
Phone: 
(224) 612-3061
Address: 
305 N Lincoln Avenue Apt 106 Urbana, IL 61801