Taku Obata

Before becoming an artist, Taku Obata was a B-Boy. Breakdancing was his first love, and it remains the beating heart of his art practice today. Back in high school in the Japanese city of Tokorozawa in the 1990s, Obata became immersed in breakdance culture, inspired by his older brother. The music, movement, fashion and community fueled his creativity, and eventually, he decided to turn his love of breakdance into art. “I was convinced that there wasn’t anyone else in the world who was inspired to carve a B-Boy wood sculpture. I wanted to push the boundaries.” So Obata set out on his mission, enrolling in the prestigious Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo Geidai) where he focused on developing his technical skills, completing his master’s degree in 2008. Today, Obata is world famous for his life-size and bigger-than-life B-boys and girls, along with his drawings, paintings and film, which all explore the power of movement and the body.