BIOGRAPHY
TAKAHASHI Hiroko
Hiroko Takahashi is an artist driven by a lifelong questioning of fixed norms. She explores the infinite within finite circles and lines, weaving dialogues that unravel constraints. Her practice centers on dynamic interplay of circles and lines. It creates abstract expressions through intuitive forms within geometric constraints, free of fixed meaning yet inviting boundless interpretations. Her drawing series, Emptiness, embodies this void-like freedom. Her kimono series, Reflective, invites viewers to project their norms, values, and experiences, unsettling familiar norms through interplay with her drawings.
Takahashi begins with delicate, hand-drawn forms. Lines and curves emerge instinctively within a geometric frame. These forms, unbound by prescribed meaning, expand into large-scale installations or dynamic kimono surfaces. Resonating poetically, her work reveals beauty and richness within life’s limits.
Holding a PhD from Tokyo University of the Arts, Takahashi reimagined kimono as a canvas for artistic inquiry, distinct from fashion. Her works have graced international stages, including the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), where her kimono is part of the permanent collection. Similarly, her work is featured in the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne) ‘Kimono’ exhibition (2025), with a kimono joining its permanent collection. Her distinctive works, embraced by global brands such as Adidas, BMW, and IKEA, underscore their universal resonance and artistic strength. Recent installations combine large-scale drawings and kimono as Reflective surfaces, overturning fixed ideas and sparking new ways of thinking. Takahashi’s art is a cyclical journey, illuminating the infinite within the finite.
EDUCATION
BFA, Tokyo University of the Arts (2000)
MFA, Tokyo University of the Arts (2002)
Ph.D. Tokyo University of the Arts (2008)
LATEST UPDATES
IKEA × TAKAHASHI HIROKO SÖTRÖNN collection / Now on sale globally.
shu uemura art of hair × TAKAHASHI HIROKO GIFT SETS / 2023
Malaysia Seibu The Exchange TRX / 2023
adidas × HIROCOLEDGE HIROKO TAKAHASHI COLLECTION / 2021
IKEA × TAKAHASHI HIROKO SÖTRÖNN collection
Born 1977.
1996 Graduated in Fashion Design from Saitama prefectural Niiza Comprehensive Technical High School.
Entered Tokyo University of the Arts, Dept. of Crafts.
2002 Started work as a designer in an apparel company once completing her Master’s in Fine Arts, majoring in dyeing and weaving.
2003 Enrolls again into Tokyo University of the Arts for PhD.
2005 Invited by Culture France, then the AFAA (French Association for Artistic Action) of The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Resides and works in Cité Internationale des Arts.
2006 Founds HIROCOLEDGE Co., Ltd.
2008 Completes PhD.
2013 Changes company name to TAKAHASHIHIROKO INC.
2014 Renovating a 50-year-old factory, opens her own studio. (Design by Jo Nagasaka, Schemata Architects)
2019 Selected as part of the permanent collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
2021 Appointed as a professor at Musashino Art University in Tokyo.
［SOLO EXHIBITIONS］
2005 “Exposition de Kimono”, Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France
2007 “HIROCOLEDGE×HIDA OMOTESANDO”, Omotesando Hills, HIDA OMOTESANDO, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “TAKAHASHI HIROKO EXHIBITION”, ELTTOB TEP ISSEY MIYAKE, Osaka, Japan
2009 “THE BEGINNING OF A NEW TRADITION – transform-”, GALLERY ROCKET, Tokyo, Japan
2009 “THE BEGINNING OF A NEW TRADITION”, DODEKA Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2010 “ON PURPOSE”, TAKAHASHI HIROKO BASE, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “PATTERNS -DOTS & STRIPES-”, SFT Gallery, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “effect”, Gallery YCAD, Yokohama University of Art and Design, Kabagawa, Japan
2012 “ON PURPOSE”, Impossible Project Space, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “OVERTURNING FIXED IDEAS AND PROVOKING NEW WAYS OF THINKING.”, LOGOS GALLERY, Shibuya Parco, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “HIROCOLEDGE”, SFT Gallery, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “Le bouleversement des mani ères de penser.”, Compagnie Française de l’Orient et de la Chine, Paris, France Paris, France
2014 “RENOVATION”, TAKAHASHIHIROKO STUDIO, Tokyo, Japan
2015 “Creating Continuity from Discontinuity”, ANTEROOM Gallery 9.5, Kyoto, Japan
2016 “RENOVATION”, Tokyu Plaza Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
2017 “7th Anniversary POLA x TAKAHASHIHIRKO”, POLA GINZA, Tokyo, Japan
2017 “All Different, All the Same”, SFT Gallery, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
2017 “Hiroko Takahashi Exhibition of Works from the Collection of Yokohama University”, Gallery YCAD, Yokohama University of Art and Design, Kabagawa, Japan
2019 “HIROCOLEDGE -TAKAHASHIHIROKO”, ONE AND ONLY, Kyoto, Japan
2019 “HIROCOLEDGE -TAKAHASHIHIROKO”, HAGI ART, Tokyo, Japan
2020 “RENOVATION – KIMONO&SUSTAINABILITY”, JAPAN HOUSE LONDON, UK
［GROUP EXHIBITIONS］
2006 Incheon International Universal Design 2006, Incheon Art Center, Korea
2012 365 Days Charming Everyday Things, Bastille Design Center, Paris, France
2012 TOKYO FASHION WEEK in INDIA, WILLS LIFESTYLE INDIA FASHION WEEK, New Delhi, India
2015 “A SIGN OF LUCK”, TAKAHASHIHIROKO STUDIO, Tokyo, Japan
2017 Design Miami.Basel Aritayaki Collection, Messe Basel, Switzerland
2020 “KIMONO – Kyoto to Catwalk”, Victoria and Albert Museum, LONDON, UK
2022 “KIMONO”, Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, afrance
2023 “KIMONO – Kyoto to Catwalk”, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland
2024 “ORIGIN of SIMPLICITY 20 Visions of Japanese Design”, ADI Design of Japanese Design”, ADI Design Museum, Milan, Italy
［PUBLIC COLLECTION］
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan
Gallery YCAD, Yokohama University of Art and Design, Kabagawa, Japan
［LECTURES］
2011 Kanazawa City Dyeing and Weaving Artist Association, Ishikawa, Japan
2012 The 30th Anniversary Ceremony of Saitama Prefectural Niiza General Technical High School, Japan
2012 Yuchengco Museum, Metro Manila, Philippines
2012 Design Singapore Council2012 Cultural Fashion Academy, Bangkok, Thailand
2012 University of Chiang Mai, Thailand
2014 The 24th Saitama Prefecture Industrial Education Fair, Japan Hosted by Saitama Prefectural Board of Education
2016 Arita House Amsterdam, Netherlands Hosted by City of Amsterdam / Cooperated by Embassy of the Netherlands
2017 Oregon College of Art and Craft, Oregon, USA
2017 Otis College of Art and Design, California, USA
2017 Salem Multicultural Institute, Oregon, USA
2017 The 22nd China Fashion Forum 2017, Beijing, China
2018 Saito University College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2019 The 63rd National Conference of High School Home Economics Practical Research Association, Saitama, Japan
2020 London Craft Week JAPAN HOUSE LONDON, UK
2022 Asahikawa Design×Management Seminar vol.11 Hokkaido, Japan
2024 University of Milan, Italy