Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, Yuji Takeoka studied sculpture at Kyoto University of the Arts, and graduated from Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in 1979. Here he had unique access to contemporary sculpture and started combining its tradition with his native Japan’s.
The artist held his first solo exhibition at Konrad Fischer Gallery in Düsseldorf in 1986. In Japan, the first solo exhibition was held at Wako Works of Art in Tokyo in 1992. He was featured in the 1992 documenta IX at Kassel. From the 1980’s on, Takeoka has maintained an interest in forms relating to contemporary ways of exhibiting art. Pedestals, vitrines, and frames are repeatedly present in the oeuvre of Takeoka. They are relieved from their usual function and appear highly aestheticized in his work. Yuji Takeoka worked as a Professor at University of Arts, Bremen (Germany) from 1995 until 2013. He lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany. Takeoka’s works are featured in international art collections such as Daimler AG, Deutsche Bank, Museum DKM, S.M.A.K Gent, Chiba City Museum, The Museum of Modern Art Saitama, National Museum of Art Osaka, Sammlung Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung and many more.