Takako Saito: DREAMS TO DO (Kat. Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen)

Takako Saito has become internationally known for her objects, artist books, performances, and actions in the context of Fluxus. She has always been interested in the world of things and everyday life, to which she adds her individual artistic gesture through interventions and small actions. Natural materials such as stones, mussels, onion peels, and chestnuts are her preferred materials, alongside various kinds of paper, plastics, foams, and wood pieces. Unmistakable are her carefully crafted object boxes that she has been creating since the 1960s, as well as the numerous free chess games, which were first sold at George Maciunas’s FluxShop. A rather playful approach is characteristic of many of Saito’s works; she is always looking for new game variants beyond fixed rules. The viewers are involved as co-players and co-designers, since the artist has a penchant for the participation strategy, particularly in her Me and You-Shops—market stall-like shops where the artist as a saleswoman interacts with the audience. The exhibition and the book Takako Saito: DREAMS TO DO are designed retrospectively and present works from all important phases.