Susumu Takashima

A Singular Presence in the Global Art Market In recent years, Susumu Takashima’s market recognition has risen with remarkable attracting sustained international attention. His works are held in distinguished collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and Aman Residences in Dubai, and are increasingly sought after by a discerning global clientele.

This ascent reflects not mere popularity, but a rare capacity to translate a distinctly Japanese sensibility into a language of global “ART”—where cultural significance and asset value converge.

Takashima’s emergence signals a broader shift: a redefinition of how Japanese art is perceived, positioned, and valued within the international market.

Radical Originality

At the highest level, artistic value is defined by originality. Takashima’s practice fundamentally departs from the traditional paradigm of painting as a vehicle for internal expression. Instead, he establishes a methodology in which the transformation of material itself becomes the work.

Through the gradual accumulation of lines—formed by the natural abrasion of pencil and brush—his compositions emerge.

These repeated gestures give rise to organic, almost topographical structures across the pictorial plane. The result is what may be described as a crystallization of lines: a wholly distinctive visual language, immediately recognizable and impossible to replicate.

Color, notably, is determined by chance through the casting of dice, removing intentional control and introducing an element of contingency. What remains is a refined equilibrium between system and accident—an expression of exceptional purity.

Rarity and Irreplaceability

Central to Takashima’s work is its absolute irreproducibility. Each piece is the product of an immense accumulation of time—an attribute that resists any form of digital substitution. Its material density and optical intensity can only be experienced in the presence of the original.

This irreversibility underpins its enduring value. In an era increasingly dominated by reproducibility, such rarity assumes heightened significance within serious collections.

Time as Medium

Takashima’s practice originates in an early fascination with line, sustained and refined over more than five decades of continuous work.
His approach resonates conceptually with the structures of minimal and process-based music, notably in the works of Steve Reich and John Cage, where repetition and duration become formative elements.

In this sense, Takashima redefines painting as a medium of time as much as of image.

From Cultural Capital to Global Asset

Takashima’s work operates at the intersection of cultural and economic value. It not only embodies a significant strand of Japanese artistic thought, but also functions as a conduit through which cultural capital enters the global marketplace.

As such, his practice represents a critical reference point for the evolving dynamics of the international art market—where rarity, authorship, and material presence are increasingly paramount.

Biography

1959 Born in Hyogo, Japan
1982 Graduated from the Department of Architecture of Musashino Art University
1984 Completed from the Department of Oil Painting of Musashino Art School
1987-88 Studied at the Department of Fine Arts of Institute Allende, Mexico

Solo Exhibitions

2023 Gallery Kazuki, Tokyo
2022 Gallery Kazuki, Tokyo
2021 Gallery Kazuki, Tokyo
2020 Gallery MORYTA, Fukuoka
2019 Chandler Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
2018 Shonandai Gallery, Roppongi, Tokyo
2017 Gallery Hakudotei, Kyobashi, Tokyo
2016 Shonandai MY Gallery, Roppongi, Tokyo
2014 Chandler Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
2014 Shonandai MY Gallery, Roppongi, Tokyo
2013 Gallery Hakudotei, Kyobashi, Tokyo
2012 Chandler Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
2012 Shonandai MY Gallery, Roppongi, Tokyo
2011 Gallery Hakudotei, Kyobashi, Tokyo
2011 Motoazabu Gallery Sakudaira, Nagano
2011 Shonandai MY Gallery, Roppongi, Tokyo
2010 Gallery Beaux, Ginza, Tokyo
2010 Shonandai MY Gallery, Roppongi, Tokyo
2009 Shonandai MY Gallery, Roppongi, Tokyo
2008 Gallery Tems, Koganei, Tokyo

Art Fair

2025 Art Fair Asia Fukuoka
2025, Fukuoka 2025 KOBE ART MARCHE,Kobe
2024 ART KAOHSIUNG,Kaohsiung Taiwan
2024 Art Fair Asia Fukuoka 2024, Fukuoka
2024 ART FORMOSA, Taipei Taiwan
2024 ART TAICHUNG, Taichung Taiwan
2024 KOBE ART MARCHE,Kobe
2024 ART FUTURE, Taipei Taiwan
2023 ART KAOHSIUNG,Kaohsiung Taiwan
2023 Art Fair Asia Fukuoka 2023, Fukuoka
2022 ART TAINAN, Tainan Taiwan
2022 Art Fair Asia Fukuoka 2022, Fukuoka
2021 ART TAICHUNG, Taichung Taiwan
2021 ART TAIPEI 2021, Taipei Taiwan
2021 Art Fair Asia Fukuoka 2021, Fukuoka
2018 ART KAOHSIUNG 2018, / Gallery MORITA + Gallery KAZUKI, Taiwan
2018 Art Fair Asia Fukuoka 2018, Fukuoka
2018 Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong
2018, China 2017 Affordable Art Fair Brussels
2017, Belgium

Group Exhibition

2025 “What emerged from Gutai and the Kyushu-ha’ The Annex of the Kyoto City Museum of Art Kyoto 2024 DETAIL, DRAW SPACE / Sydney, Australia
2024 RULES FOR DRAWING (DRAW SPACE / Sydney, Australia)
2023 “Boats Rowing Toward the Light”: Yozo Hamaguchi and Hiroaki Kuwahara, Masayoshi Maeda, Musée Hamaguchi Yōzō Yamasa Collection,Tokyo
2021 “Mirror in Mirror”: Uzo Hiramatsu & Susumu Takashima Two-Person Exhibition,Tainan Soka Art, Tainan, Taiwan
2018 Takashima + Takaki Exhibition/ Gallery KAZUKI, Ginza, Tokyo
2017 Hideaki Yamamoto, Susumu Takashima Exhibition/ Shonandai MY Gallery, Roppongi, Tokyo
2015 YIA International Art Fair, Paris, France 2014 OFF Contemporary Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium 2012 “Encouragement of learning” at the Museum/ Ome Municipal Museum of art, Ome, Tokyo 2012 ArtPad　SF （Phoenix Hotel/ San Francisco） 2011 Kito + Takashima Exhibition/ Gallery Face to Face, Kichijoji, Tokyo
2011 THE 2nd “WHAT IS DRAWING” EXHIBITION/ Galerie Simon, Ginza, Tokyo
2010 +PLUS Tokyo Contemporary Art Fair/ Tobi Art Forum, Tokyo 2010 Art Kite Show/ Gallery of Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, Hamamatsu/ Chandler Fine Art, San Francisco
2010 kun Start/ Borzano, Italy
2009 kun Start/ Borzano, Italy

Awards

2007 The 5th Contemporary Art Society of Japan (Examiner Special Prize)
2002 The 11th Memorial Exhibition of Aoki (Excellent Prize)
2000 The 14th Fine Art Exhibition in Tama (Grand Prix)
1998 The 3rd Contest for the Best Contemporary Art Work ’99 (Gallery Prize)
1997 ‘97 ABC Art Contest (Excellent Prize) The2nd Showa Shell Contemporary Art Contest (Encouragement Prize)
1990 The 16th Exposition : France-Japan (Nihon TV Encouragement Prize)

Public Collection

Ome Municipal Museum of Art (Tokyo, Japan)
JAL Diamond Premier Lounge, Haneda Airport (Japan)
National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C., USA)
Aman Residences Dubai (UAE)
Amansamar (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Artist Writings

“Drawings for Means” That Produce Purpose→
Perspective Born from the Emphasis on Materiality →
Drawing for Tools and Material →
The material makes me draw →

Criticism & Articles

Jessie Elizabeth Alperin →
CONTEMPORARY ART IN BRUSSELS/ OUTSIDE 2014/4/24, 16.35 →
YIA International Art Fair written by Moderneast Magazine →
Gekkan Gallery Materials Are What Make Me Draw sep 2019 →
A very different combination of chance occurrence and methodical effort informs the work of Japanese artist Susumu Takashima at Chandler Fine Art →
CONTEMPORARY ART INBRUSSELS/OUTSIDE 2014 →
YIA International Art Fair 2015 Moderneast Magazine →

Online Resources

VENTI journal → William Harsh review: Painting, drawing for keeps →