Tomoko Takahashi: Leftover

Hales Gallery is pleased to announce Japanese artist Tomoko Takahashi's second solo show at the gallery. Takahashi will make a new installation in the gallery space over a 10 day period preceding the show.

Takahashi's installations have been described as organised chaos. Each work is triggered by her response to a particular site or personal situations. Takahashi takes the entire space into account. She develops an internal logic which she uses to order and compose objects within this designated space. A collector of the most obsessive nature, she is highly selective when hunting for materials for her work. Objects are chosen for their intended functions, others are chosen to help highlight and animate different aspects and ideas within the work. The resulting installations are like complex three dimensional collages, where the gallery serves as both the artist's studio and a viewing space.

The use of every day and discarded objects as viable artistic material has recurred throughout the 20th Century and has its roots in the work of pivotal artists such as Kurt Schwitters, particularly his Merzbau, 1923-37. Tomoko Takahashi continues this tradition and through her work challenges the viewer to see the world differently.

Tomoko Takahashi was born in Tokyo. Her work Drawing Room, 1998 is currently being exhibited at Tate Modern as part of its permanent collection. She has had solo shows at The Mead Gallery, Warwickshire (2006), Serpentine Gallery, London (2005), UCLA Hammer Museum, LA (2002) and the Kunsthalle Bern (2002). In 2000 she was nominated for the Turner Prize.

Take Away @ Hales
7 - 10 March 2007

In an event entitled Take Away @ Hales, Tomoko Takahashi invites you to dismantle the installation over a four day period. These objects, given value temporarily within the gallery context, will revert to the everyday world, their everyday life, seeking a new function and a new habitat.
Visit our website www.halesgallery.com for further details.