TT Takemoto

TT Takemoto is a queer Japanese American artist exploring hidden dimensions of same-sex intimacy in Asian American history. Takemoto interacts with found footage and archival materials through labor-intensive processes of painting, lifting, and manipulating 16mm/35mm film emulsion using clear tape, razor blades, and nail polish. By engaging with tactile and sensory dimensions of queer histories, Takemoto conjures up immersive fantasies honoring Asian Americans who lived, loved, and labored together. Takemoto was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Best Experimental Film at Slamdance Film Festival and Best Experimental Film Jury Award at Austin LGBTQ+ International Film Festival. They have received grants from Art Matters, ArtPlace, Fleishhacker Foundation, Lucas Artists Program at Montalvo Arts Center, and San Francisco Arts Commission. Their screenings include San Francisco’s SFMOMA, de Young Museum, and Asian Art Museum; Outfest (Los Angeles); Anthology Film Archive (New York); and internationally at BFI Flare (London, UK), Documenta 15 (Kassel, Germany), MIX Mexico (Mexico City), Marseille Underground Film Festival (France), Queer Forever! (Hanoi), Rio Gay Film Festival (Brazil), and Xposed International Queer Film Festival (Berlin).

Photo by Nicholas Lea Bruno.

Projects:

• Claiming Space