Takeshi Moro was born in Japan, raised in the U.K. and currently works in the San Francisco Bay Area. Moro studied photography at Rhode Island School of Design and holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from Brown University. He completed his M.F.A. graduate studies at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Moro’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and Serlachius Museot, Finland. His work resides in the permanent collection at Museum of Contemporary Photography, as well as in various private collections.
Artist Statement
A kaleidoscope of angst, remorse, and British sarcasm fill my viewfinder. It’s colored mostly by my experiences of growing up in Plymouth, U.K., and trying to cope with a schizophrenic love-hate relationship with Japan. This all started when my mother bought me a toy camera that imprinted a Japanese cartoon character to every frame on the film. The Japanese character, woven into the English landscapes, must have affected how I see the world today. I’ve used and will use all kinds of cameras from film to digital —but technology aside— I have always been guided by my urge to see a cultural narrative through the viewfinder; whether that be Afghan asylum seekers in rural Finnish villages or an office used by an American President in Germany to decide the fate of post war Japan.
Education
- 2001
Brown University, Economics & Visual Arts with Honors, BA
- 2008
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, MFA
Solo Exhibitions
- 2024*
Shionoe Art Museum, Takamatsu, Japan
- 2023
The National Japanese American Historical Society,
Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center, San Francisco, CA
- 2022
Serlachius Residency, Mänttä-Vilppula, Finland
- 2021
Valokuvakeskus Nykyaika / Photographic Centre Nykyaika, Tampere, Finland,
- 2018
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
- 2016
Gallery 100%, San Francisco, CA
- 2016
Galerie Possum, Berlin, Germany
- 2016
Büro für kulturelle Übersetzungen, Leipzig, Germany
- 2015
City of Takamatsu, Artist-in-Residence Exhibition, Japan
- 2015
Serlachius Residency, Karaoke Mänttä, Finland
- 2015
AC Institute, NY, NY
- 2014
Kunstraum Tapir, Berlin, Germany
- 2013
Serlachius Museot Gustav, Mänttä, Finland
- 2013
Gallery AŽ, Zagreb, Croatia
- 2012
Skaftfell Center for Visual Art, Seyðisfjörður, Iceland “Favorite Spots”
- 2012
Illinois State University, Normal, IL “Pedestals for…”
- 2011
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL “UBS 12×12”
- 2011
Arteles Gallery, Haukijarvi, Finland “Untitled Men”
- 2011
Incheon Art Platform, Incheon, South Korea “Spotlights”
Selected Group Exhibitions and Events
- 2021
Japanese American Museum, San Jose, San Jose, CA, “Hidden Histories San Jose”
- 2020
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, “Come to your Census”
- 2019
ArtObjectGallery, San Jose, CA “Transient Existence”
- 2017
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, “Public Square, Why Citizenship?”
Bass & Reiner, San Francisco, CA, “Art Book Show”
Art Ark, San Jose, CA, “Vision and Voice”
- 2016
Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA, “Yud Video Project”
SF Camerawork, San Francisco, CA, “Zones of Representation” Symposium
- 2015
Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, South Korea “Imagining New Eurasia Project”
The Blender Gallery, Invitational Photography Exhibition, Athens, Greece “Ithaca Returned”
SF Camerawork, San Francisco, CA, “HEAT” Annual Juried Exhibition
Black Box Gallery, Portland, OR, “Grayscale”
Incheon Art Platform, Incheon, South Korea, “2015 IAP Video Anthology”
- 2014
Pro Arts, Oakland, CA, “The Disquiet”
The 10th Berlin International Directors Lounge, Berlin, Germany
Society for Photographic Education, Annual National Conference Film Festival, Baltimore, MD
- 2013
Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA, “This Will Never Work!”
The Front, New Orleans, LA “PhotoBOMB”
Kunstraum Tapir, Berlin, Germany “Real It Up!”
Contemporary Museum of Crete, Rethymnom, Greece “Ithaca Returned”
Vathi Museum, Invitational Photography Exhibition, Ithaca, Greece “Ithaca Returned”
Open Engagement Conference, Portland State University, Portland, OR “Silence!”
- 2012
University of Michigan, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design. Detroit, MI “Clandestine”
top e.V., Kassel, Germany “Silent Meals”
Azimuth Projects, Chicago, IL “Black Mountain Side”
University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art, Cedar Falls, IA “Times, Interludes, and Action”
Incheon Art Platform, Incheon, South Korea “Platform Festival 2012”
Please email me full C.V.
Residencies and Awards
- 2015
Takamatsu City Artist-in-Residency, Japan
- 2015
Serlachius Residency, Finland
- 2014
The American-Scandinavian Foundation Research in the Creative Arts
- 2013
Takt Kunstprojektraum, Berlin, Germany
- 2013
Gallery AŽ, Zagreb, Croatia
- 2012
top e.V., Kassel, Germany
- 2012
Skaftfell Center for Visual Art, Seyðisfjörður, Iceland
- 2011
Incheon Art Platform, Incheon, South Korea
- 2010
Arteles, Hämeenkyrö, Finland
- 2010
Atlantic Center for the Arts, with Jean-Marc Bustamante, New Smyrna Beach, Florida