Visitors are invited to experience "Soft Landscapes" (2025), a vinyl installation by artist Taro Takizawa measuring 135” x 690”, currently on view in the Harder Hall Lobby—just outside Holmes Auditorium and the Fosdick-Nelson Gallery.
Takizawa recently visited Alfred University to give a lecture on his work, hosted by the Institute for Electronic Arts and the Division of Foundations, School of Art & Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He is currently a visiting lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Born in Japan, Takizawa creates work that spans printmaking, wall vinyl installations, drawings, and two-dimensional design. His art reflects his personal experiences growing up in Japan and later in the United States, where he has lived since 2002. His practice blends Eastern and Western aesthetics and demonstrates a deep appreciation for traditional printmaking techniques and mark making. Influenced by traditional Japanese textile patterns, architecture, and crafts, Takizawa explores the intersection between contemporary studio practices and historical processes through both printmaking and installation.
Takizawa earned his BFA with an emphasis in printmaking from Central Michigan University in 2011, and his MFA in printmaking from Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts in 2017. During his graduate studies, he exhibited nationally and internationally at venues such as the Chautauqua Institution School of Art, the PARADOX European Fine Art Forum, and ArtPrize 10 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. He has recently completed artist residencies at the Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts in Ithaca, NY, and the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, OH.