Barbara Takenaga
Barbara Takenaga paints brilliantly colored cosmological worlds where tendrils of glittering orbs float and swirl – often around a central locus. Her complex systems of intricately painted patterns simultaneously emphasize the duality between the micro and macro world and the dichotomy between observable and imaginary worlds. These vivid visions both reference and combine psychedelic rock posters from the 1960s, strands of beads, Op Art, DNA, computer-generated fractal geometries, and the vortex of black holes. The fluorescent color and rich patterns pulse with energy as they invite viewers deep into space, while at the same time the seductive surfaces seem palpable and dimensional.
Takenaga’s more recent work, such as Angel, rejects the central orb in favor of non-symmetrical patterns that expand and contract to create the effect of warped time and space. The sparkling spheres of light converge and mesh as if they were compressed and distorted. Takenaga’s paintings combine science and magic to conjure visions of vibrating force fields, dancing sugarplums, solar systems of gumballs, and imaginary beaded worlds where viewers are seduced into a pulsating carnivalesque space.
Barbara Takenaga resides in Williamstown, MA
Image: Barbara Takenaga, Angel, 2006, acrylic on wood, 42” x 36”, Lent by the Artist, Courtesy McKenzie Fine Art, New York, NY
