Norio Takasugi

Norio Takasugi is a Japanese contemporary artist who was born in 1973 and studied industrial design and sculpture at the Musashino Art University in Tokyo. He moved from Japan to Berlin in 2004. 

His work investigates similarities and differences between modernism and wabi-sabi. Both eschew any decoration that is not essential; both are abstract, nonrepresentational ideals of beauty. But modernism is seamless, polished and smooth. Wabi-sabi is earthy, imperfect and variegated. Modernism implies a logical, rational worldview and is future-oriented. Wabi-sabi implies an intuitive worldview and is present-oriented. Modernism involves mass-production, wabi-sabi is one-of-a-kind.

Takasugi’s subjects are always nature related and although the photographic negative of an image remains the same, its reproduction produces subtle differences, resulting in unique pieces of work. In his silver leaf works Takasugi merges ancient Japanese painting techniques using silver leaf and sulfur with the screen-printing technique to create his photographic expression. Because of the unpredictability of the chemical reactions between the silver and the sulphur, the outcome is different every time and never perfect.

A further theme that has been a constant in Norio Takasugi’s work from the beginning is the antagonism of mass product versus unique piece. How is it possible to create unique pieces in a time of mass production? With his series ‘Efeu’ Takasugi shows a beautiful balance between the two by creating unique artworks with 48 gelatin silver prints of ivy leaves.

Takasugi’s works are in numerous collections in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, China, and Japan, where he has also held several solo and group exhibitions.