Artist Profile

A son of Japanese parents, Shinkichi Tajiri is a sculptor who was born in Los Angeles and grew up in San Diego, California.  Tajiri is world-renowned for his friendship knots, which can be found all over the world including sites such as the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles; Rockefeller Foundation, New York; and Bryeres, France.  In 1953, the artist work came to the attention of COBRA, an art group of revolutionary experimental artists and protestors from Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam.  The Dutch group was drawn to Tajiri’s works and labeled him an abstract surrealist.  Later in 1964, the artist and his family moved to Minnesota to the Art Institute of Minneapolis where he had a one-year visiting professorship with Arnold Herstand.  During this time, Tajiri completed 25 bronze sculptures for an exhibit and created a monumental sculpture for St. Paul, Minnesota.  The artist lives and works in Holland.