Tama Takahashi is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work merges traditional Japanese motifs with contemporary techniques to explore identity, social justice, and environmental themes. Her byōbu-inspired series features handmade washi paper and watercolor on custom 24-carat gold screens crafted by a Kyoto artisan, while another series addresses discrimination and climate change through layered compositions.

A graduate of UC San Diego with a double major in Art and Cinema, Tama spent 15 years in film and television as a camera assistant with the IATSE Camera Guild while exhibiting ceramics in Los Angeles galleries. She returned to painting and collage during the pandemic, opening her Santa Barbara studio in 2023. Her work has been shown internationally, earning multiple Gold Awards at exhibitions in Tokyo and Nagasaki, as well as recognition from the Sedona Arts Center and the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. Tama is a member of the Los Angeles Art Association, Women’s Caucus for Art, and Asian Art Contemporary, among others, positioning her as a dynamic voice in contemporary art.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?
I’d like to preface my interview by expressing how happy I am that the Asian Art Contemporary is showcasing international Asian artists. When I went through art school, the curriculum mainly covered American and European male artists. The rich traditions of—and cutting-edge contemporary art by—Asians were minimized. I’d love to be part of increasing the visibility of Asians in art, both by being a creator and using images of Asians in my artworks. A big thank you to Asian Art Contemporary for including me in their nexus of Asian art worldwide.

I graduated from UC San Diego with a double major in Art and Cinema. Fate had me turn to filmmaking first, since I was chosen for an apprenticeship with the IATSE Camera Guild in Los Angeles and worked as a camera assistant in movies and TV for over 15 years. I was showing my ceramics at LA galleries before the long hours in filmmaking made it impossible. Unemployed during the pandemic, I began painting in oil and creating collage with washi paper. After much encouragement from teachers and other artists, I opened my Santa Barbara studio in 2023 and launched my professional art career.

A few months after opening my studio, I was awarded an Emerging Artist Fellowship from the California Arts Council and SVCREATES. That same year, I had my first international showing in a group exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum curated by Julienne Johnson, where I won two prizes: the Award of Excellence and the Gold Award (the highest honor). Since then, I was awarded another Gold Award at the 2024 exhibition and was part of a group show at the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum. I’ve also won awards from the Sedona Arts Center and Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. I am a member of the International Association of Art, the Los Angeles Art Association, LELA International, and the Southern California Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art.

I’m a mixed-race Japanese American. My mother was white American and my father Japanese. My father’s family was among the 125,000+ Japanese Americans wrongfully incarcerated during WWII. His family was interned in the Minidoka, Idaho concentration camp. His generation would never speak of this traumatic event, but like many Nikkei, it weighs on me and the feelings around this injustice sometimes emerge in my artwork.

How do you stay inspired and motivated to create new work?
I have a file stuffed with ideas. They are usually sparked by a composition I see—either in nature or in a photograph—or by the colors and patterns of a specific sheet of washi paper. For example, my oil on canvas “Climate Change Coming” had its origin in a shot of a green hill in a BBC documentary where the horizon line was steeply slanted across the frame. I loved the composition. There was no water in the shot, but my imagination saw an enormous wave coming to take out an innocent apple tree as the perfect metaphor for impending climate change.

Another example is “Undressing,” which came together quickly after I spent a long time looking at a sheet of chiyogami washi I had purchased at the Tokyo Origami Museum store. It spoke of a flowing robe. Once I had that vision, the rest was easy! Michelangelo said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” I think every sheet of washi has many works of art inherent in it. If you spend 10–20 minutes looking at it, you will find them.

How has your artistic style evolved over time?
When I was studying art in college, I was very aware of trends and what other artists were doing. I wanted to fit in and tailored my work to be compatible with what was popular at the time. Now that I’m older, I have a stronger sense of self. Instead of always looking outward, I look inward, drawing from my experience and cultural context.

I used to find portraying the human face and figure difficult, but my years in the movie business were very instructive. The camera assistant is the closest person to the actors on set. While the camera operator is behind the lens and the director is usually back by the video monitor, a camera assistant stands to the side of the camera, directly facing the actors. I spent hours and hours over the course of years studying their eyes, their expressions, and the way light sculpts the planes of a face. I worked with great cameramen who used composition, color, and lighting to create a mood on film. Amazingly, the years spent doing this prepared me for what I do now.

In my art, I try to capture a fleeting expression, a certain mood, a moment in time.

In what ways do you think the art world has changed since you started your career?
There’s been a world of difference in the representation of women artists and artists of color. Looking at the demographics of the USA, over 50% are women and somewhere around 40% are people of color. There has definitely been a desire among curators and gallerists to reflect these demographic percentages in the art world, but there is still progress to be made.

What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?
I wish I’d taken the opportunity in college to take as many drawing and painting classes as possible. I don’t have the vast technical knowledge that I imagine I would have had with an MFA. At times I’ve been unsure about materials—for instance, which varnish to use over mixed media. However, there are solutions. If my network of artists can’t help me, I’ve found that contacting the manufacturers of paints and mediums is a sure way to get accurate information.

Fortunately, Santa Barbara has a great community college with art classes open even to those who have a degree, and there are art workshops here and in nearby Los Angeles. These help me with the technical aspects. I’m also part of several art associations and a critique group, so I can get feedback and suggestions on my concepts and execution, which I believe is crucial for any artist.

What projects are you currently working on, and what can we expect from you in the future?
I’m currently working on two series: art embodying commentary on social or cultural topics and, secondly, a contemporary riff in the tradition of byōbu, the Japanese gold-leaf folding screens. I have a craftsman in Tokyo who provides a blank “canvas”—not made of actual canvas—but of layers of washi paper over a bamboo framework, finished with 24-karat gold leaf, bordered with silk brocade, with a hand-lacquered black frame. On these, I collage watercolor and washi paper. Each is 36″ x 19.5″, which is 1/4 the size of a traditional byōbu. My goal is to complete a full-sized 36″ x 78” screen in the next year.

With my social/cultural commentary, I’m expanding my 2D art into 3D, not in a rounded, sculpted way but in a “planar 3D”—that is bringing layers out from the wall. I’m doing this by stacking frames or creating mobiles with flat, figurative elements or in the case of “Understanding Barriers,” using a plexiglass box to hold a layer of barbed wire in front of the watercolor/washi image behind it. I’m starting small with these works, intending to work larger as I work out the logistical kinks.

What advice would you give to emerging artists trying to establish themselves?
I’d say to dig deep into what makes you special: your heritage, your life experiences, your insights. Make your art personal.

I received some good advice when I started painting. An artist friend told me, “If you want to be in the art world, BE IN the art world. Go to museums, openings, open studios and talk with the people you meet there, ask questions, read about art, watch videos about art, keep up on social media, and keep creating art!”

Text & photo courtesy of Tama Takahashi

Website: www.tamatakahashi.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tama_art_2/