Materials for the Arts to Present Natsuki Takauji’s TEMPORAL BELONGING Exhibition
On view through October 9 at the MFTA Gallery in Queens.
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 16, 2025
Materials for the Arts (MFTA) will present Temporal Belonging, a new solo exhibition by MFTA Artist-in-Residence Natsuki Takauji, on view now through October 9 at the MFTA Gallery. A free opening event with the artist will take place on Thursday, September 18, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Drawing inspiration from her visits to Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and Fukushima—Japanese cities marked by nuclear devastation and natural disasters—Takauji transforms overlooked objects into immersive works that explore memory, loss, and belonging. Through large-scale installations and intimate assemblages, she reimagines the discarded, from dolls and fabric scraps to vintage furniture, as carriers of personal and collective history.
“‘Temporal Belonging is a powerful reminder that even the most ordinary objects carry deep stories of identity, memory, and transformation,” said NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “Materials for the Arts continues to empower artists like Natsuki Takauji to explore creative reuse in a multitude of ways.”
Takauji, who has served as MFTA’s Artist-in-Residence since May 2025, created the exhibition from the organization’s 35,000-square-foot warehouse of donated materials. “Traditionally, the materials I work with are ones that I’ve purposely chosen and purchased. Here, the materials choose me,” said Takauji. “Developing connections with materials that contain a unique past and quality, I began to explore the life of materials, from beginning to end, and the human psychology around them.”
Highlights of the exhibition include cabinets filled with portraits of strangers that feel strangely familiar, drawers spilling with Raggedy Ann dolls and teddy bears, and comic-etched wooden blocks drawn by Takauji during adolescence. A video installation juxtaposes scenes of the MFTA warehouse with footage from Takauji’s travels in Japan, linking personal memory with the passage of time.
Exhibition Details
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Opening Reception: Thursday, September 18, 2025, 6:30–8:30 p.m. (free, open to the public)
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Exhibition Dates: Through October 9, 2025
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Location: MFTA Gallery, Materials for the Arts, 33-00 Northern Blvd., Long Island City, Queens
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Gallery Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
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Admission: Free
About the Artist
Natsuki Takauji is a Queens-based interdisciplinary artist from Japan whose work spans mixed-media sculpture, painting, multimedia, and socially engaged public art. Her large-scale sculptures have been installed at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Riverside Park South, Rye Town Park, and Van Cortlandt Park, with current commissions at JFK International Airport and Oeno Gallery Sculpture Garden in Ontario, Canada. She has exhibited internationally at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Kameyama Art Triennale, Japan Society, and World Art Expo Seoul. Learn more at natsukitakauji.com.
About Materials for the Arts
A program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs with support from the Department of Education and Friends of Materials for the Arts, MFTA is New York City’s largest creative reuse center. Since 1978, it has provided millions of pounds of donated materials to nonprofits, public schools, and City agencies free of charge. Its Education Center, Gallery, and Artist-in-Residence programs advance the role of sustainability in the arts and inspire thousands of educators, artists, and students each year. Learn more at nyc.gov/mfta.
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