Eishi Takaoka’s Sculptures at GR2

“A Hand” by Eishi Takaoka

Giant Robot 2 (GR2), 2062 Sawtelle Blvd. in West Los Angeles, is proud to present “Socks,” a solo exhibition by Eishi Takaoka, from July 30 to Aug. 17.

Opening reception with the artist will be held this Saturday, from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

GR2 is situated perfectly in line with the Obon Festival at the West L.A. Buddhist Temple this weekend, which means parking should be available at the Trident Center, although that also may get packed.

Takaoka’s work is coming back. Although his sculptures all portray the same serene expression, their outwardly calm façade belies a world of bottled-up emotions. With nowhere to go, these intense feelings manifest themselves in outlandish formations that sprout out of the top of each figure’s head.

The uniquely sculpted heads of Takaoka are rooted in a personal fantasy world that is fueled by the emotional ups and downs of daily life in lower-middle-class Japan. He instills his frustration with life in Kagoshima and feelings of isolation into each of the pieces, which are composed of carved wood painted with raw mineral pigments placed atop empty glass medicine bottles.

Takaoka’s pieces have been seen in group shows in Tokyo and New York, one-person exhibitions at Giant Robot New York and GR2 in Los Angeles, and on the cover of novelist Haruki Murakami’s “Kafka on the Shore.”

Gallery hours: Closed Monday and Tuesday; 12 to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 12 to 8 p.m. Saturday; 12 to 7 p.m. Sunday. For more information, contact Eric Nakamura at (424) 2GO-ROBO (246-7626) or visit www.gr2.net.