Eiko Otake

Eiko Otake is a movement-based interdisciplinary artist and educator, residing in New York since 1976. She is affiliated with New York University, Wesleyan University, and Colorado College (which honored her with an honorary doctorate in 2020). Her work explores themes of memory, nuclear trauma, and environmental disaster through performance, film, and photography.

• Teaching: Interdisciplinary courses on mass violence and nuclear issues
• Collaborations: Long-term partnership with photographer William Johnston for the Fukushima project, and the Duet Project with artists across disciplines

Her research interests focus on site-specific performance, post-disaster aesthetics, and the body as a medium for historical reckoning. Major works include A Body in Fukushima (book/film, 2021-2022), Slow Turn (9/11 commemoration, 2021), and With the Dead (2023).

• Awards: MacArthur Fellowship (shared with Koma), Dance Magazine Award, Doris Duke Artist Award

Eiko’s performances engage public spaces like train stations, libraries, and memorials, redefining how audiences encounter art in everyday environments. Her work bridges dance, visual arts, and activism through enduring collaborations and institutional partnerships.