Gaku Tsutaja

Gaku Tsutaja (born 1974) is a Japanese contemporary artist based in Queens, New York. Her multimedia practice combines drawing, installation, performance, and animation to examine themes of historical trauma, nuclear history, and cultural memory.

Early life and education Tsutaja was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1974. She studied at Tokyo Zokei University before moving to the United States to complete her MFA at SUNY Purchase College.

Her art has been exhibited in solo and group shows in New York and internationally.

Selected exhibitions Her solo exhibitions include: A Trip to the Moon (2019) at Shirley Fiterman Art Center, Borough of Manhattan Community College. Spider’s Thread (2020) at Ulterior Gallery. Warp Drive (2022) at Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels in Saitama, Japan. Memory Bug (2023) at Ulterior Gallery. Hawai‘i Triennial (2022) at the Bishop Museum, Honolulu. Artists Against the Bomb (2025), Judd Foundation, New York, USA. 29th Taro Okamoto Contemporary Art Award (第29回岡本太郎現代芸術賞), Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki, Japan (2026).

Critical reception Tsutaja’s work has been reviewed in The New York Times, Artforum, and Hyperallergic, with critics noting her use of fantastical imagery to approach complex histories.