Bio
Michael Takahata attended the University of Oklahoma, where he received a BFA in studio art with an emphasis in painting and figurative sculpture. His academic journey continued at OU, where he spent an additional two years in a post baccalaureate ceramics program. He then pursued a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics at Cranbrook Academy of Art. As a multimedia sculptor, Michael’s work primarily revolves around small scale narrative ceramics and low relief wood carvings. His artistic practice is informed by his upbringing and personal experiences, and strives to offer nuanced perspectives on heritage, belonging, and childhood.
Artist Statement
A life formed from dissonant parts. Fragmented languages and customs that felt both familiar and foreign. I grew up tangled in the threads of two distinct cultures, being the third son of a Japanese father and Finnish mother raised in Oklahoma. I learned early on what I needed to do to pass, and am fortunate in my racial ambiguity that I could fabricate a version of myself that could quietly pass through society. Unfortunately, through this self-assimilation of culture, I denied the parts of myself that made me who I am. The queer, biracial kid from Oklahoma, shaped by cultures I wasn’t ready to acknowledge and carried histories I didn’t yet know how to hold. With time I began to look within, analyzing the cultural fragments obscured through years of repression, coalesced into layered symbols. Over time, these fragments become the foundation of my work, talismanic archetypes that offer opportunities for connection and self-reflection.