It was announced on 30 September 2025 that Takako Saito sadly passed away. Her death marks the loss of one of the last first-generation Fluxus artists, but her playful spirit and inventive approach will undoubtedly continue to resonate in the ways that contemporary artists and audiences — not to mention curators, conservators, and other cultural stewards — think about participation, sensory experience, and the role of play in art.
In the Fluxus context, Saito was perhaps best known for her unconventional chess sets, which iconically replaced traditional chess pieces with spices, vials of liquid scents, nuts and bolts, and other objects intended to invoke sensory cues beyond the visual. These works reimagined a familiar game as an encounter of smell, touch, and sound, inviting players to collaborate, experiment, and attend to perception in new ways.
Alongside her involvement with Fluxus, Saito developed a rich body of work spanning recipe books, garments, performances, installations and participatory objects, all of which carried her distinctive blend of playfulness and attentiveness to the senses into new contexts. Our team had the pleasure of experiencing her work firsthand during one of our Fluxus Study Days, when we visited Takako Saito: Pi-Pi-po, po – Ein Portrait von Takako at the Kunstmuseum Bochum (18 March – 20 August 2023). One of the most striking aspects of the exhibition was the way visitors were invited to cross the usual boundaries of the museum, with works accompanied by signs encouraging direct interaction.
This encouragement to play with the artworks vividly captured a defining feature of Saito’s practice: transforming works of art into shared experiences rather than distant displays. In this spirit, her legacy remains a vital reminder of art’s capacity to connect people through curiosity and engagement.
Featured photograph: Takako Saito during a performance in New York in 1990. Source: https://boa-basedonart.com/takako-saito-performance-fashion-parade/.
Activating Fluxus 