Takako Saito has an unmistakable artistic style that developed under the influence of Fluxus and the Japanese art education reform movement “Sōzō Biiku Undou”, which sought to provide post-war Japan with a playful, progressive subtext. After moving from Japan to New York in 1963, Saito became intensively involved with the protagonists of the Fluxus movement, such as George Maciunas, Shigeko Kubota and John Cage. In this new context, she intensified her exploration of the practices of play and chance. The artist’s work, which includes performances, handmade objects and drawings, embraces the spirit of participatory art and invites the viewer to experiment and participate in the creative process.  

Takako Saito (斉藤 陽子, Saitō Takako, born in Fukui, Japan, in 1929) is an artist living and working in Düsseldorf. She studied child psychology at Japan Woman’s University Tokyo (Nihon Joshi Daigaku) and worked as a school teacher in Sabae (鯖江市, Sabae-shi) before commencing her career as an artist. Saito has exhibited widely in Germany and abroad. Her works are held in major private and public collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Centre Pompidou, Paris, and the M+, Hong Kong.