STATEMENT

Using photography, performance, installation, and urban intervention, my practice explores the complexities of being an Asian who struggles with immigration systems to pursue women’s freedom. Being a non-native English speaker, my visual practice incorporates my awkward experience in non-Asian new cultures; there is an ongoing struggle with the complex meaning of being a “foreign woman” outside of our home countries with the millions of women immigrants over the world that pursue their new life. 

In 2014, I started the project, “Seeing You/Seeing Me”, to camouflage my physicality behind a small mirrored dome during intentionally awkward interactions with strangers on the street in Portland OR. The accompanying video work documented responses from both sides of this unusual situation and pried those interrelationships open. This project addressed the paradoxical sense of invisibility and hyper-visibility of my experience as a foreign woman living in the US.  For the new phase of this project, I’m currently expanding this dome to amplify the shared experiences of other immigrants in different locations, including Georgia and Massachusetts to incorporate more specific discourses around politics and society, past and present.

Our struggles as immigrants, though individual and varying, share a winding path of fear. Some similar fears are shared regardless of the story: social fear related to the fragility of status, fear of differences in culture and accents, fear of missing out on “common knowledge,” and fear of a limited support system in the new country. As nations, including the US, historically struggling with the complex history of its diversity, offers a unique perspective on the relationship between its citizens and an increasing immigrant population.

C.V.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS AND PERFORMANCES
2023 Seeing You/Seeing Me: Conversations in MO -Stop.gap gallery as part of 2023 True/False Film Fest, Columbia, MO (forthcoming)
2022 Kintsugi: Healing Through Japanese Art – International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, IL (on view till March 2023)
Seeing You/Seeing Me: Conversation – Carnation Contemporary, Portland, OR
2020 My Voice/ Our Voice - Blackfish Gallery, Portland OR
2019 My Word is Hard to Hear - Blackfish Gallery, Portland OR
2016 Tsurezuregusa for Vermont - Mary Sky, Hancock, VT
2015 de⋅mar⋅cate - Littman Gallery, Portland State University, Portland, OR.
2014 com·mu·ni·ca·tion - Dengerink Gallery, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA
2013 Room Tone - Instructed Performance by Lucy Raven and Rebecca Gates, TBA:13 Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
Umeru 埋 - MK Gallery at PSU, Portland, OR
2008 Her Loneliness - Toriizaka Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

ART COLLECTIVE/TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONs AND PERFORMANCES
2023 Are You Here? - sound Installation by Spiral Body (Mami Takahashi+Adrian McBride), International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, IL (forthcoming)
Entangled Memories -S.E.M. Collective (Mami Takahashi, Eden Radfarr, and Sarah Nguyen), UCM Gallery of Art & Design, Warrensburg, MO (forthcoming)
2022  Are You Here? - sound Installation by Spiral Body, Oregon Contemporary, Portland, OR
Entangled Reflections– S.E.M. Collective, LSMSA Gallery, Natchitoches, LA
2014   Collaboration with Adrian McBride - Kincainya, Portland, OR
2006  East Meets West with Jennifer Sinclair - The International Museum of Art, El Paso, TX
2005 An Olfactory Factory Essence with Laura Drogoul –International House and Design Festa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND PERFORMANCES (*catalog)
2022  UNDERCURRENTS, curated by Kristina Newman-Scott – Ely Center of Contemporary Art, New Haven, CT
Blind Date - Carnation Contemporary, Portland OR
North Louisiana Virtual Residency exhibition -The Ross Lynn Charitable Foundation, Ruston, LA
Here + Now – juried by Francine Weiss, Gallery 263, Cambridge, MA
6th Louisiana Biennial – SOD Gallery at Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2021    Coalesce - Stelo Art and Culture Foundation, Portland OR
Close Encounters – MASS Gallery, Austin TX
2020   Another Idea: an actual conceptual art exhibition- Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry at the University of Chicago, Chicago IL*
The Unknown Artist, Curated by Lucy Cotter- Center for Contemporary Art & Culture, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland OR*
Around the Narrative Lens - Ford Gallery, Portland OR
2019    A PART - PLACE Gallery, Portland OR
2018    I Came From Far Away, But I Am Here Now - Curated by Hester Coucke, The Arts Center, Corvallis, OR
Artist’s Vision - Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, Lakewood Center, Lake Oswego, OR
The Mask - Loosen Art - Millepiani Gallery, Italy *
Masterful Moxie: The Power of Art - Scharpenberg Gallery DANK Haus, Chicago, IL *
Art as Refuge - 510 Museum & ARTspace, Lake Oswego, OR
2017    Brown People Are Wrens in the Parking Lot- Curated by William Pope.L, Logan Center at University of Chicago, IL
2017    Visual Chronicle of Portland - Portland Building, Portland, OR (Commissioned)
2016    Beyond the barrier of sound and soon, of light - aka Artist-Run, Saskatchewan, Canada
2015    Within/Without 2014-2015 Papermaking Residency - c3:initiative, Portland, OR
2014    The Missing Body - Curated by Cindy Baker, Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Alberta, Canada *
Garden of Flame - Gwangju Folk Art Museum, Gwangju, Korea *
2013     Room Tone -Instructed performance at TBA:13 Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
Maybe - Place Gallery, Portland, OR
Here Come the Warm Jets - UpFor Contemporary Art curated by Jeanine Jablonski, Portland, OR *
Irreversible Reaction - Experimental Film Festival, Light+Sound Window Gallery, Portland, OR
Sometimes Between Notions, Ditch Project Gallery, Springfield, OR
2012    The Summer is Over Before It’s Begun - Autzen Gallery at Portland State University, Portland, OR
Pacific Northwest Art Annual - Adell McMillan Gallery at University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
13:13 - Swell Gallery at the San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
13:13 - The Gallery of Visual Art at the Montana University, MT
2009    Retrospective Works - Arizona Art Expo, Scottsdale, AZ
2008    Gotas De Alegra – instituto Municipal del Arte y la Cultura, DG, Mexico

ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2023 Visual Artist Residency as part of 2023 True/False Film Fest, Columbia, MO (forthcoming)
2022     Santa Fe Art Institute - Santa Fe, NM
Teton Artlab, Jackson - Freedom, WY        
2021 The Studios at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art- North Adams, MA (Oregon Visual Artist Fellowship)
Hot Box Residency - MASS Gallery, Austin TX
North Louisiana Virtual Residency - The Ross Lynn Charitable Foundation + North Central Louisiana Arts Council, Ruston, LA
c3: Initiative Letterpress Residency - Colton, OR
2020     The Hambidge Center - Rabun Gap, GA
2018       Leland Iron Work + Pacific Northwest College of Art - Oregon City, OR (Ford Family Foundation Golden Spot Artist Fellowship)
Japanese Arts Foundation – Chicago, IL
Good Hart Artist Residency - Good Hart, MI
2016       Mary Sky - Hancock, VT
2014       c3: initiative Papermaking Residency –  Portland, OR

SELECTED VISITING ARTIST AND SPEAKER APPEARANCES
2023 Artist Talk - as part of 2023 True/False Film Fest, Columbia, MO (forthcoming)
Artist Conversation with Sarah Nguyen and Eden Radfarr - UCM Gallery of Art & Design, Warrensburg, MO (forthcoming)
2022       Artist conversation with Russell Borne moderated by Kristan Kennedy- Carnation Contemporary, Portland OR
Artist Roundtable, Art-in-Between: Trama, Identity, and Representation- DePaul University, Chicago, IL
Visiting Artist Talk – Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland OR
Artist Talk - Teton Artlab, Jackson, WY
Artist Conversation with Sarah Nguyen and Eden Radfarr - North Louisiana Virtual Residency, Ruston, LA
2021         Artist Talk and Studio Tour – Stelo Arts and Culture Foundation, Portland OR
2020         Artist Conversation with Kristan Kennedy at Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s Big In Japan program
Artist Lecture: Respect at “We Still Teach”, television program via Fox 32/My50 Chicago TV
2019         Artist Talk: Blackfish Gallery, Portland OR
Artist Lecture: Japanese Aesthetics of Arts: Concept of MA- The Japan America Society of Chicago+ JCC, Chicago, IL
Artist Lecture: Concept of MA by Mami Takahashi - Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey, MI
2018         Artist Talk: Art as Refuge exhibition - Art Council of Lake Oswego, 510 Museum & ARTspace, Lake Oswego, OR
2015         Artist Talk: Within/Without with Pat Boas - c3:initiative + pulp&Deckle, Portland OR
Artist Talk: Screening+ Conversation: Mami Takahashi+Kristan Kennedy - c3: initiative, Portland, OR
2014         Visiting scholar: University of Oregon, Eugene, OR (multi-year contract from 2014-2018)

BIBLIOGRAPHIES, INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS
Fallon, Michael. Unfolding, Stelo Arts and Culture Foundation, 2023 (forthcoming)
Cahill, Zachary and Schuh, Michael. Another Idea: an actual conceptual art exhibition, Portable Grey, Vol. 6, University of Chicago Press. October 2021
Ashton, David. Brooklyn artist gets Oregon Arts Commission Teaching Grant, The BEE. March 2021.
Ruth, Anna. Support Beam Artist Reflection: Mami Takahashi, online article, Regional Arts and Culture Council, Feb. 17, 2021.
Principe, Andrew. Reflections: An Interview with artist Mami Takahashi, December’s Featured Interview. Council-General of Japan, Chicago. November 2020.
Daghlian, Martha. The Unknown Exhibition: A show exploring anonymity, craft, and art takes on new meaning amidst social distancing, Oregon Arts Watch. March 29, 2020.
Daghlian, Martha. VizArts Monthly: Fill March with art and sunshine, The Unknown Artist, Oregon Arts Watch. March 2, 2019.
Wunnan, Nim. VizArts Monthly: Flatness, roundness, and everything between and beyond, Oregon Arts Watch. August 1, 2019.
Farbman, Suzy. Artist Mami Takahashi illuminates the immigrant experience, Suzy Farbman: Synchronicity, Turning Points and Beyond…, June
Ringling, Macrina. Interview to Mami Takahashi, Online Broadcasting, Mary Sky, VT. October 2017
Chaykowski, Natasha. Curatorial Essay: Beyond the barrier of sound and soon, of light, Online Article at akaartistrun.com. August 21, 2016
Jahn, Jeff. Takahashi | Kennedy Conversation, PORT, January 2015
Baker, Cindy. "The Missing Body: performance in the absence of the artist". Print. Lethbridge, AL, Canada. June 2014
Kirk, Atalanta. 70 Days In The Tent. Print. 1st ed. Blurb, 90-91. Phoenix, AZ. 2009.
Tokita, A. "Smell of Tokyo"The Asahi Times, Tokyo, Japan. September 2004

GRANTS AND AWARDS
2022       Oregon Arts Commission  - Career Opportunity Grant, Salem OR
Regional Arts and Culture Council - Make|Learn|Build Grant, Portland OR
2021        Studios at Mass MoCA - Oregon Artist Fellowship by the Ford Family Foundation
Regional Arts and Culture Council - Make|Learn|Build Grant, Portland OR
2020   Oregon Arts Commission  - Career Opportunity Grant, Salem OR
Regional Arts and Culture Council - Support Beam, Portland OR
Portland Art Museum - Artist Relief Fund, Portland OR
2018        Leland Ironwork+Pacific Northwest College of Art Residency - Golden Spot Artist Award by Ford Family Foundation
2017        Regional Arts and Culture Council - Project Grant, Portland OR
2013        MFA Scholarship Award - Allied Arts Gallery, Richmond, WA

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
2021        Support Beam - Regional Art & Culture Council, Portland OR
2017        Visual Chronicle of Portland - Regional Art & Culture Council/ City of Portland, Portland OR

Public Art
2022     Kintsugi, public art installation – The Garden of Phoenix at Jackson Park, Chicago IL