Takako Saito (b. 1929; Sabae-Shi, Fukui Province, Japan)

In 1963, Takako Saito, a Japanese art educator, moved to New York following the recommendation of her colleague Ay-O, who had moved to New York in 1958. Saito became immediately involved in the New York Fluxus scene, participating in various Fluxus communal dinners organized by George Maciunas that included Japanese artists Ay-O, Mieko Shiomi, Shigeko Kubota, Korean artist Nam Jun Paik, and others. In 1968, she left New York to work with several artists loosely connected to Fluxus, such as George Brecht and Robert Filliou in France and Felipe Ehrenberg, David Mayor, and Martha Hellion in England, and by 1979, Saito settled in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she still lives today.

Her work often emphasizes play, chance, and viewer participation. Saito’s practice resists categorization, embodying a lifelong commitment to fluidity, collaboration, and everyday creativity.

Saito studied child psychology at the Japanese Women's University in Tokyo. She has participated in numerous exhibitions in Germany and abroad. Her works can be found in important private and public collections such as the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein- Westfalen, the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Center Pompidou, Paris, and the M+, Hong Kong.

CV

Selected Exhibitions

3 x Figuration: Kate Millett, Takako Saito, Fumio Yoshimura

OSMOS Address, New York, NY

November 14, 2024 - February 1, 2025