Tadashi Kawamata was born in Japan in 1953. He lives and works in Tokyo.
In 2005 he was the artistic director of the Yokohama Triennale and also had two exhibitions in France, one at the Creux de l'Enfer, in Thiers, the other at Chateau des Adhemars in Montelimar.
Tadashi Kawamata's work reflects upon specific social contexts and the human relations that define them. Through considered physical and mental exploration of a place, its history, its landscape, its architecture and the way of life these bring about, he progressively determines the nature of a project. Tadashi Kawamata frequently uses salvaged materials such as chairs, boats or scaffolding.
His work recreates connections between the past and the present, revealing the invisible emotional aspects of things while materialising them.
Communal living and shared work are the principles which form the basis of the majority of his projects.
