American Contemporary Collage Artist
I create collages that respect tradition while breaking from it—an approach I describe as painting with images. Using digital technology, I cut, paste, blend, and mix imagery into multilayered mashup compositions that burst with sexuality, anger, beauty, and obsession. “Imagery makes the best paint; it comes dripping with color and connotations.” (Takako)
Born and raised in Chicago, I believe growing up in a large, multicultural city shaped me profoundly, both as a person and as an artist. Constant exposure to different cultures, neighborhoods, and environments made the city itself a kind of teacher, introducing me to countless forms of design, style, and aesthetics.
Formally trained as an architect—a profession I still practice in Chicago—I was heavily influenced by my graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (2004–2007). The school’s dynamic mix of disciplines, with fashion, art, industrial design, and architecture students all interacting in the same building, sparked my interest in collage.
My art reflects the environment many of us navigate daily, constantly moving between the real and the perceived as filtered through our devices. I strive to reside in the tension between the simulated and the real.
A few themes recur in my work. My love of cinema has inspired ongoing explorations of feminine power and its portrayal in society. I’m also fascinated by the many subcultures we inhabit—often contradictory, each one shaping our identity. My art exaggerates these phenomena, playfully giving form to the imperceptible.
Artist Statement
I regard content creation as a contemporary form of religion, with digital platforms functioning as its temples and interfaces as sites of ritual. Within these spaces, images circulate as offerings—constructed, consumed, and endlessly reinterpreted.
Through collage, I gather fragments from this vast visual ecosystem, reassembling them into works that reflect both the density and familiarity of our mediated reality. These compositions operate as layered surfaces where meaning is not fixed but accumulated—echoing how we experience identity, memory, and presence in the digital age.
My work does not seek to critique or resolve these conditions, but to dwell within them. It is an invitation to look more closely, to recognize the sacred and the constructed as intertwined, and to engage with the complexity of a world shaped by images.
Mini Interview
What is the central theme or concept behind your current body of work?
My current body of work explores the tension between the simulated and the real, and how that line has blurred in a culture built on images. I see content creation as a kind of devotional practice, digital platforms as temples, and images as offerings we make to be seen. I’m interested in what we worship when we scroll.
How do you hope your work resonates with or impacts your viewers?
I just try to create imagery that’s captivating and irresistible. How it resonates with someone is an individual experience.
Can you share a pivotal moment that has shaped your artistic journey?
My thesis year, graduate school in architecture, University of Cincinnati. That’s when my professor taught me about collage and challenged me to explore it.
What advice would you offer to emerging artists navigating today’s art world?
Keep the artistry and the passion yet treat it like a practice. Try to establish a well run practice. The daily tribulations of life will affect the art.
Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions you would like to share with our readers?
I have started a number of series that I’m looking forward to adding to. To name a few: The Red Dress series, the Mannequin series, the Separate but Equal series.
