Katsukin Takamura is a contemporary Asian fibre artist who explores the human conditions through Surrealistic miniature sculptures that are sometimes combined with felt-textured portraits turned into mixed media collages. Influenced by Surrealist Rene Magritte, multidisciplinary pop artist Murakami Takashi, and micro sculptor Willard Wigan, she blends imaginary creatures with pop culture references to construct mini sculptures with huge presence.

Growing up, adults and peers around her see her as an eccentric person. In fact, she has undiagnosed mild autism and ADHD, which enables her to work for long hours, visualise multiple creative ideas simultaneously, and focus on tiny details, thus utilising her two conditions as her superpowers. Her close brush with death in 2003 due to a severe asthma attack and a few times in 2020 as a result of sleep disorders fuelled her curiosity in mortality, therefore exploring the human condition through her art.

I started making flat felt motifs in 2014, sewing facial features and gluing felt parts together using white glue. My two-dimensional motifs became three-dimensional as I experimented with my own templates and gluing fabric parts using epoxy glue.

By 2020, I replaced my gluing technique, sewing parts together to create moderately realistic felt figures that are two cm in height. This reduces exposure to toxins, especially important as I live with asthma.

Gradually, my felt sculptures became smaller, standing at 1 cm. From 2021 to 2022, I progressed to creating 0.5-cm miniatures, attaching parts together using fabric paint. I had to paint on such small surfaces using a needle, so I developed my own paintbrush by sticking a needle through the nozzle of a mechanical pencil.

During the second quarter of 2023, my artwork enlarged again. I began constructing surrealist sculptures by sewing 1 cm dolls and 2cm figurines together, combining other materials such as glass bottles, ultraviolet resin, glitter, sequins, and other fabric types.

2023 - Praxis Center for Aesthetic Studies
Brainard Carey

2021 - The Perfect Proposal
The Futur

2020 - Make Art That Sells
Lilla Rogers

2020 - The Artist Entrepreneur
Catherine Orer