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Honda Syoryu
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Honda Syoryu

Honda Syoryu was born in 1951 in Kagoshima, on the southwestern tip of Kyushu Island. His family made functional bamboo products. Helping out with the family business as a child is the start of Honda’s working with bamboo. In 1977, Honda moved to the town of Beppu to attend the bamboo craft training school. After completing the one-year course, he remained in Beppu to study under Kadota Niko, a nationally recognized artist. As the largest center for the bamboo craft in Japan, Beppu offered Honda the chance to measure his talent against many of Japan’s most highly-skilled craftsmen and artists.

After becoming independent, Honda began to show original work at local and regional public competitions and was soon exhibiting at the national level in the prestigious Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibitions. It was apparent from the beginning that Honda intended to introduce different sensibilities into the Beppu basketry tradition. He often incorporated techniques and styles from other regions to make his vessels stand out. Though there were few collectors in Japan for his major exhibition pieces, Honda became successful designing simple yet elegant flower baskets for daily use. Together with Morigami Jin, an artistic rival and friend, Honda soon became one of the emerging stars of Beppu’s art scene. He taught or mentored a number of young bamboo artists who were drawn to his impeccable technique and contemporary aesthetic, including Kibe Seiho and Nakatomi Hajime.

Sales slowed after Japan’s bubble economy burst, and by the end of the 1990s, Honda was struggling financially. In 1999, Honda was introduced to Robert Coffland of TAI Gallery. Recognizing Honda’s talent, Coffland asked Lloyd Cotsen, a longtime supporter of the bamboo arts, if he would sponsor Honda’s creation of a major piece for the Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition. Honda made a dazzling presentation tray, which the judges rejected, but the work found a home in Cotsen’s collection. The following year, Coffland himself sponsored Honda. Judges once again rejected Honda’s highly original submission. Disappointed that the judges did not value Honda’s creativity, Coffland sponsored Honda again – this time to create a work that ignored the constraints of Traditional Craft Art Association. Coffland wrote “What emerged was a bamboo sculpture entitled Dance that was the starting point of a brilliant series that continues to evolve to this day.” It was a major turning point of Honda’s artistic career. He devoted himself to creating abstract bamboo sculptures, and his new work was embraced by an enthusiastic American audience.

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Honda Syoryu was born in 1951 in Kagoshima, on the southwestern tip of Kyushu Island. His family made functional bamboo products. Helping out with the family business as a child is the start of Honda’s working with bamboo. In 1977, Honda moved to the town of Beppu to attend the bamboo craft training school. After completing the one-year course, he remained in Beppu to study under Kadota Niko, a nationally recognized artist. As the largest center for the bamboo craft in Japan, Beppu offered Honda the chance to measure his talent against many of Japan’s most highly-skilled craftsmen and artists.

After becoming independent, Honda began to show original work at local and regional public competitions and was soon exhibiting at the national level in the prestigious Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibitions. It was apparent from the beginning that Honda intended to introduce different sensibilities into the Beppu basketry tradition. He often incorporated techniques and styles from other regions to make his vessels stand out. Though there were few collectors in Japan for his major exhibition pieces, Honda became successful designing simple yet elegant flower baskets for daily use. Together with Morigami Jin, an artistic rival and friend, Honda soon became one of the emerging stars of Beppu’s art scene. He taught or mentored a number of young bamboo artists who were drawn to his impeccable technique and contemporary aesthetic, including Kibe Seiho and Nakatomi Hajime.

Sales slowed after Japan’s bubble economy burst, and by the end of the 1990s, Honda was struggling financially. In 1999, Honda was introduced to Robert Coffland of TAI Gallery. Recognizing Honda’s talent, Coffland asked Lloyd Cotsen, a longtime supporter of the bamboo arts, if he would sponsor Honda’s creation of a major piece for the Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition. Honda made a dazzling presentation tray, which the judges rejected, but the work found a home in Cotsen’s collection. The following year, Coffland himself sponsored Honda. Judges once again rejected Honda’s highly original submission. Disappointed that the judges did not value Honda’s creativity, Coffland sponsored Honda again – this time to create a work that ignored the constraints of Traditional Craft Art Association. Coffland wrote “What emerged was a bamboo sculpture entitled Dance that was the starting point of a brilliant series that continues to evolve to this day.” It was a major turning point of Honda’s artistic career. He devoted himself to creating abstract bamboo sculptures, and his new work was embraced by an enthusiastic American audience.

BIO/CV

b. 1951, Kagoshima, Japan

Education
  • 1978

    Graduated from Oita Prefectural Beppu Advanced Occupational School, Department of Bamboo Craft Art


Exhibitions + Accolades
  • 1979

    Admitted to 14th Japan Traditional Craft Art Exhibition, Western Division

  • 1981

    Winner of Japan Traditional Craft Art Association Award at the 16th  Japan Traditional Craft Art Exhibition, Western Division

  • 1982                      

    Admitted to the 17th Japan Traditional Craft Art Exhibition, Western Division

  • 1985                      

    Apprenticed to Kadota Niko

  • 1986                     

    Winner of Oita Governor’s Award at the Japan Traditional Craft Art Exhibition, Western Division

  • 1988                     

    Admitted to the 35th Japan Traditional Craft Art Exhibition

  • 1989

    Admitted to the 36th Japan Traditional Craft Art Exhibition

  • 2000                     

    Admitted to Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) for the first time, thereafter 10 times
    Cotsen Bamboo Prize Finalist

  • 2001

    Admitted to Japan Modern Craft Art exhibition, thereafter 12 times
    Bamboo Fantasies, TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

  • 2002                     

    Special Demonstration at Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA
    The Next Generation, University of Arkansas, Little Rock
    Cotsen Bamboo Prize Finalist

  • 2003                     

    Exhibited at the Tigerman Himmel Gallery, Chicago, IL

  • 2004                       

    Cotsen Bamboo Prize Finalist
    Exhibited in the Hand Workshop Art Center, Richmond, VA
    Solo Exhibition, TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

  • 2006                     

    Power & Delicacy: Master Works of Japanese Bamboo Art, TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
    Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Art, Grinnell College, IA and Chicago Cultural Center, IL
    Exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

  • 2007                     

    The Next Generation, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA

  • 2008                     

    New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters, Japan Society, New York, NY

  • 2009                     

    Many Shapes of Bamboo III, Oita Prefectural Art Museum

  • 2010                      

    Thirty Years of Collecting: A Recent Gift to the Museum, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, AZ
    Beauty in All Things: Japanese Art and Design, Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY

  • 2013                      

    Oita’s Art Movement, in partnership with the Oita Prefectural Government, TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
    Fired Earth, Woven Bamboo, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

  • 2015

    Japanese Bamboo and the World Expo: A Century of Discovery, Japanese Friendship Garden, San Diego, CA

  • 2017                      

    Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
    Masterpieces of Japanese Bamboo Art, TAI Modern at Joan B Mirviss LTD, New York, NY
    Solo exhibition, TAI Modern, Santa Fe, NM
    Tewaza no Bi – Bamboo Baskets from the Collection of Peter Shinbach, Portland Japanese Gardens, Portland, OR

  • 2018

    Fendre L’ Air, Musee du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac, Paris

  • 2020

    Masterpieces of Bamboo Art: Katsushiro Soho and Fujinuma Noboru, Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, Utsunomiya, Japan

    Winter Shadows, TAI Modern, Santa Fe, NM


Museum Collections
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
    Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY
    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
    Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
    de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
    Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
    Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, AZ
    Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
    Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
    Beppu City Bamboo Craft Center
    Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY


ARTIST STATEMENT

I create sculptures about space and time, about the magnificence and mystery of the universe. Six years ago, I moved to the city of Matsumoto, where the sky and mountains spread out before my eyes. I am becoming more and more inspired by the beauty of this area.

Working with bamboo, it is almost impossible to have total control over the form that you intend to make. When I make my art, I am in constant dialogue with the bamboo. This material’s unique pliability allows me to draw beautiful, naturally curving lines in space. The textures I create cannot be achieved with any other medium. I feel great satisfaction when working together with the bamboo leads me to create a sculpture beyond my imagination.

Collectors in the U.S. have almost single-handedly supported my artistic career. I am so grateful to them. It is my hope to create many more works which will inspire the viewer. I also hope to devote my time to training the next generation of bamboo artists. Keeping the art form alive and passing it on to future generations is the best way for me to honor all the support I have been given.

  • Japanese Bamboo Art From New York: The Abbey Collection

    Shoryu Honda‘s “Dance” (2000) | THE ABBEY COLLECTION, “PROMISED GIFT OF DIANE AND ARTHUR ABBEY TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART,” IMAGE ©THE MET   OITA PREFECTURAL ART MUSEUM May 18-June 30 BY YUKARI TANAKA MAY 7, 2019 Original article at Japan Times This traveling exhibition, which first showcased at The Metropolitan Museum of Art […]
  • We Were Always Here: Japanese-American Post-War Pioneers of Art Opens at Heather James Fine Art, San Francisco

    April 04, 2019 Original article at ArtfixDaily.com SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Boundary-pushing paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by more than 15 artists including Yayoi Kusama, Ruth Asawa, Arakawa, and Masami Teraoka are on view from April 4 to July 15, 2019, at Heather James Fine Art, San Francisco, 49 Geary Street. We Were Always Here: Japanese-American Post-War […]
  • Art Antiques London Consolidates Success with Strong Sales and Increased Visitor Numbers

      Original article at Art Daily.org Honda Syoryu, “Revolution”. Madake & rattan, 22 1/2″ x 19″ x 15 1/2″. Photo: Gary Mankus. Photo: Courtesy Tai Gallery. LONDON.- Art Antiques London had much to celebrate when its doors closed on Wednesday 15th June after eight very busy days. The Fair acted as a magnet for collectors and connoisseurs […]
  • Honda Syoryu at Tai Modern

      Michael Abatemarco Jul 28, 2017 Original article at Santa Fe New Mexican.com Honda Syoryu: Big Wave, 2016, Madake bamboo and rattan Tai Modern, 1601 Paseo de Peralta, 505-984-1387 Using traditional basketry techniques, Japanese bamboo artist Honda Syoryu  creates rhythmic, organic sculptural forms that capture a sense of oscillating  movement. Syoryu brings two new bodies of […]
  • Celebrating the next generation of Japanese bamboo artists

    by Gary Gach Original article at Asian Art.com In conjunction with Masters of Bamboo, the Asian Art Museum held a reception featuring one work each from ten artists considered to be the next generation of this truly amazing art form. This extended display was then kept for a month beyond the week of the reception […]
  • FIRED EARTH, WOVEN BAMBOO

    Original article at Asian Art Newspaper.com THE MUSEUM OF Fine Arts in Boston has recently received a transformative gift of over 90 pieces spanning the late 20th and 21st centuries, given by collectors Stanley and Mary Ann Snider from their Japanese art. This continues the tradition of collectors of Japanese art making donations to the […]
  • Weaving a tale: Bamboo arts at The Met

    Original article at NY Press.com   Entering The Met Fifth Avenue’s Arts of Japan galleries, many visitors can’t help but gasp. We did. The guard on duty said it’s a common response. The exhibition title and signage promised bamboo baskets. It didn’t say anything about a floor-to-ceiling twisting mass of frenetic energy in a site-specific […]
  • Craftsmanship takes centre stage at The Met’s Japanese bamboo art exhibition

    Tide by Fujitsuka Shosei; Photo Courtesy: Fujitsuka Shosei Original article at Architectural Digest.com With this exhibition, what comes to the foreground is the difference in viewing objects. Objects that for hundreds of years were considered simple, everyday utensils now have a place at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These refined bamboo vessels have […]
  • Western taste for bamboo art is transforming an ancient Japanese tradition

    Credit: Minoura Chikuhō When Japan opened up to the world in the middle of the 19th century, Western merchant ships were quick to return home with exotic art from the once reclusive nation. The private galleries and curiosity shops of London and Paris were flooded with Japanese woodblock prints, calligraphy and ceramics. But one traditional […]
  • Honda Syoryu Essay

    When I first learned that bamboo artist Honda Syoryu studied under Kadota Niko, I was puzzled. Kadota Niko, a prominent member of the Iwao lineage, worked in the traditional style of the Beppu region and was known for his imposing, extremely intricate jar-shaped flower baskets. Honda is recognized primarily as a sculptor, and even the […]
  • PRESS RELEASE: TAI Modern at Asia Week New York

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TAI Modern at Asia Week New York Realization of Form: Masterworks of Japanese Bamboo Art March 15th– 24th, 2018 Exhibiting at Jason Jacques Gallery 29 East 73rd St, Apt. 1 New York, NY  10021 NEW YORK, NEW YORK—TAI Modern is pleased to announce its participation in Asia Week New York 2018. The […]

Japanese Bamboo Art From New York: The Abbey Collection

Shoryu Honda‘s “Dance” (2000) | THE ABBEY COLLECTION, “PROMISED GIFT OF DIANE AND ARTHUR ABBEY TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART,” IMAGE ©THE MET

 

OITA PREFECTURAL ART MUSEUM

May 18-June 30

BY YUKARI TANAKA
MAY 7, 2019
Original article at Japan Times

This traveling exhibition, which first showcased at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2017, brings to Oita a selection of Japanese bamboo objets d’art originally amassed by collectors Diane and Arthur Abbey.

The show of 75 works by 44 artists includes masterpieces by six living national treasures. Pieces range from Meiji Era (1868-1912) traditional flower baskets to contemporary artworks, some of which are being shown in Japan for the first time. Highlights include pieces by the Oita-born Shono Shounsai (1904-74), the first bamboo artist to be designated a living national treasure, Hayakawa Shokosai I (1815-97) and Tanabe Chikuunsai I (1887-1937).

Oita Prefectural Art Museum; 2-1 Kotobukimachi, Oita. Oita Stn. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (Fri., Sat. till 8 p.m.). ¥1,000. 097-533-4500; www.opam.jp

Ticket Giveaway: We have five pairs of tickets to “Japanese Bamboo Art From New York: The Abbey Collection” at Oita Prefectural Art Museum to give to readers. The ticket giveaway is now online only. To apply, visit jtimes.jp/tickets. Deadline: May 14.

We Were Always Here: Japanese-American Post-War Pioneers of Art Opens at Heather James Fine Art, San Francisco

ArtfixDaily

April 04, 2019
Original article at ArtfixDaily.com

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Boundary-pushing paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by more than 15 artists including Yayoi Kusama, Ruth Asawa, Arakawa, and Masami Teraoka are on view from April 4 to July 15, 2019, at Heather James Fine Art, San Francisco, 49 Geary Street. We Were Always Here: Japanese-American Post-War Pioneers of Art provides an insightful chapter within the many cross-cultural narratives that developed and flourished in American art after World War II.

While several artists featured in the exhibition were born in the U.S., others chose the U.S. as their home. This convergence of identities—taking place during both a highly expressive and repressive period in America—resulted in particularly potent work, which expanded the vocabulary of painting while introducing new forms of sculpture and conceptual art.

“The artists featured in the show forever altered and enriched the artistic landscape in the United States through their work. It is especially fitting to present this exhibition in San Francisco, a city graced with a history of substantial cultural contributions made by Japanese Americans,” said James Carona, founder of Heather James Fine Art.

Exhibition highlights include Seashore of Rotterdam, 1988, a dot-motif painting by Yayoi Kusama; Untitled, c. 1950s, an intricate wire sculpture harnessing the power of the line while simultaneously expressing its transparency by Ruth Asawa; Miracle of the Door, 1964, a conceptual diagrammatic canvas by architect and artist Arakawa; and 31 Flavors Invading Japan, 1982, an Ukiyo-e inspired woodcut with hand watercolor on paper infused with humorous references to American pop culture by Masami Teraoka.

The exhibition also includes works by Nakatomi Hajime, Tadasky (Tadasuke) Kuwayama, Ueno Masao, George Miyasaki, Sadamasa Motonaga, George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, Kikuo Saito, Kay Sekimachi, Kumi Sugai, Honda Syoryu, Nakamura Tomonori, and Teruko Yokoi, among others.

While some Japanese and Japanese-American artists advanced divergently from the same influences, others converged onto similar paths. By putting these artists in dialogue with each other, the exhibition seeks to explore a richer history of Post-War art through new contexts.

About Heather James Fine Art

Heather James Fine Art presents a rare look into art history’s past and present, offering important works from a cross-section of periods, movements, and genres including Post-War, Contemporary, Impressionist, Modern, American, Latin American, and Old Masters.

In 23 years, Heather James Fine Art has expanded into a global network with galleries located in Palm Desert, San Francisco, and Montecito, California; New York, New York; and Jackson Hole, Wyoming; along with consultancies in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Austin, Texas.

Each year, its galleries present an array of museum-quality exhibitions exploring historical and contemporary themes, or examining the work of individual influential artists.

Heather James Fine Art is dedicated to bringing exceptional art to private clients and museums globally while providing the utmost personalized logistical, curatorial, and financial services.

 

###

Press Contacts:

Heather James Fine Art California: Busby Group, Parinaz Farzin, parinaz@aboveparpr.com, 310-600-6746

Heather James Fine Art New York: Nicole Straus Public Relations, Cecilia Bonn, cbonn@nyc.rr.com, 212-734-9754

Art Antiques London Consolidates Success with Strong Sales and Increased Visitor Numbers

 

Original article at Art Daily.org


Honda Syoryu, “Revolution”. Madake & rattan, 22 1/2″ x 19″ x 15 1/2″. Photo: Gary Mankus. Photo: Courtesy Tai Gallery.

LONDON.- Art Antiques London had much to celebrate when its doors closed on Wednesday 15th June after eight very busy days. The Fair acted as a magnet for collectors and connoisseurs with many established buyers visiting the Fair. Visitors commented on the light airy feel of the Fair and responded very well to the mix of disciplines and objects on display. Strong sales were reported across the board, the lecture series was universally praised and the restaurant, run by the Admirable Crichton, was an outstanding success. The final visitor figure was in excess of 15,500, and up just under 10% on last year. The visitor profile was very international with Middle Eastern and Asian buyers making their mark. A number of dealers made significant sales to Australian collectors.

2011 marked 30 years of Haughton International Fairs. The International Ceramics Fair and Seminar was launched in 1982 and when Art Antiques London was launched in 2010, it was incorporated into and became a distinct part of the new Fair.

Sales
Given the Fair’s background and heritage sales of ceramics were predictably strong. One of the star sales of the Fair was made by Parisian specialists, Dragesco-Cramoisan, who were delighted to sell a very rare green ground Saint-Cloud porcelain jug and ewer with polychrome decoration, 1722-26 to a new private collector. The decoration, which includes birds and dogs, was inspired by Indian textiles. Only one other example is known, which is in the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut, the oldest public art collection in the United States.

Brian Haughton Gallery reported a number of sales including a very large pair of Chelsea artichoke tureens and covers decorated in tones of green and yellow, c. 1754-6 to two separate private buyers; a pair of extremely rare Chelsea sunflower dishes c. 1754 and a Sevres plate, painted by Taillandier from the Duchess of Manchester service c. 1782.

Stockspring Antiques reported an excellent fair having sold things across the board, including one of their highlight pieces: Barr, Flight and Barr-Worcester topographical garniture of five vases, 1807-13, which are painted with views of Launceston; Ullswater, Cumberland; Near Crogen, On the River Dee; Kirkham Priory Gateway, Yorkshire and Beauchief Abbey, and Derbyshire. Oriental ceramics also found buyers, J.A.N Fine Art were pleased to sell a large 18th-century tall neck baluster vase in blue and white from Kangi Xi to a private collector.

Japanese objects and works of art were much in evidence and were a well received addition to the Fair. New York dealer Erik Thomsen commented that he had met new American clients in London, had had steady sales, particularly of porcelain and was expecting significant after sales.

TAI Gallery from Santa Fe were delighted by the reception that their bamboo art received. A new London audience showed great interest in bamboo artist Sugita Jozan, who worked at the Fair every day, attracting both attention and admiration. Their sales included a piece by Fujinuma Noboru (.b. 1945) entitled Spring Tide.

Laura Bordignon Antiques was delighted to sell one of her most important pieces, a Japanese bronze okimono of a boy asleep over a drum while a cat rests on his shoulders, Meiji period 1868-1912, amongst their sales. A unique collection of Japanese Girl and Boy Festival Dolls from the Late Edo period was brought to the Fair by Mary Deeming and bought by a private Amsterdam Museum for their collection. She was also delighted to sell the majority of her 18th-century wood block prints as well as some 20th-century masters. She commented that the Fair has been a ‘…phenomenal success, attracting a potent mix of museum curators and private collectors’. Her sentiment was echoed by William Agnew, who sold 32 works of art during the course of the Fair, a performance not matched by his attendance at any other Fair over his long career.

Jewellery dealers, Lucas Rarities debuted at the Fair this year and were delighted to sell one of their key pieces – a pavé-set gemstone heart made up of yellow diamonds, rubies and sapphires made by Hollywood jeweller Paul Flato in 1938 and owned by Millicent Rogers Balcom, the Standard Oil heiress, who was photographed wearing the piece in Vogue in 1939. Indian jewellery specialist, Samina Khanyari reported steady sales to new and serious buyers while Sandra Cronan sold ever day to a mixture of new and established clients.

Georg Jensen specialists, Silver Fund made significant sales throughout the Fair. On the first day, they sold a Mexican Cubist water jug by silver designer Antonio Pineda c. 1960 to a new international client. They went on to sell an extraordinary Georg Jensen Fish Dish designed by Harald Nielsen c. 1930 with wonderful stylised dolphins and fitted, pierced mazarines to a new American collector.

Historic pictures were successful too. Strachan Fine Art sold their a recently re-identified portrait of Richard Burke Jnr by James Barry 1774 for the asking price as well as their Daniel Mytens c.1629 portrait of Lady Catherine Howard, Countess of Salisbury to Lord Salisbury, who will return it to Hatfield House. They also sold a silver cast model of Christ the King, which had been commissioned by Sir Edwin Lutyens for the projected Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

Sim Fine Art were delighted to sell over three quarters of the pictures from their Cyrus Cuneo (1879-1916) exhibition. A student of Whistler and flyweight boxing champion, American born Cuneo was one of the leading illustrators of his generation. An established Middle Eastern buyer bought two Orientalist pictures from Stephen Ongpin Fine Art including a black chalk and watercolour drawing by John Frederick Lewis RA (1804-1876) entitled A Young Woman from Bursa while Rountree Fine Art sold a delightful picture by Anthony Devis (1729-1816) depicting bowls on the lawn of Bishop’s Palace, Farnham circa 1780. The painting is from a series Devis painted for Wedgwood and sold to a private collector.

‘People love this fair’ said contemporary dealer, Lucy B. Campbell, who had a very successful outing selling a number of paintings by both Juan Luque, and Anna Pugh while Jonathan Cooper Gallery reported the sale of a work by Jonathan Pointer to a new client as well as one of their highlight pieces, ‘Chulia Street’ by Nicholas Phillips.

Dealer Holly Johnson sold a stunning Fornisetti screen and first time exhibitor, J. Roger (Antiques) Ltd were delighted to sell an unusual and rare Regency period secretaire cabinet, c. 1810 to an American client and were delighted with the number of new clients they met.

Museums and celebrity visitors
The central location in Kensington Gardens overlooking the Albert Memorial is one of Art Antiques London’s greatest assets. The fair is convenient for the well-heeled local population, which includes a number of diplomatic missions, as well as visiting international collectors. That Art Antiques London attracted a discerning, knowledgeable audience was one of the most frequently heard comments from exhibitors.

The Admirable Crichton ran the 1851 restaurant, which attracted very good reviews from both exhibitors and visitors. The delicious food, stunning view and good service created ‘a welcome respite from the bustle of the fair’.

The Fair was visited by many international museums from the UK and Europe including The Hermitage; The Wallace Collection; Bowes Museum; The Ashmoleon Museum; The Fitzwilliam Museum; The British Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum; Worcester Museum of Porcelain, Spencer House, The Bavarian National Museum; Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, Berlin and Nymphenberg, Munich.

Representatives from a number of US museums visited Art Antiques London including The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Detroit Insititute of Arts, St Louis Museum of Art, and the J.Paul Getty Museum all sent representatives.

The Queen of Malaysia entertained a party of friends in the restaurant and was seen browsing ceramics, well known collector Dorrit Moussaieff, wife of Iceland’s President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson and HE Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani also visited and made purchases.

There was a visit from chat show royalty Oprah Winfrey, who braved the downpour on Thursday afternoon to visit the fair. Singer Mika and designer Paul Smith were also seen in the Fair.

The First Night Party in Aid of CFAB (Children and Families Across Borders) took place on 8th June 2011. The glittering evening began with a drinks party in the Kensington Gardens venue. Champagne, canapés and vodka cocktails were served. Nancy Dell’Olio – who was one of the lots in the live charity auction – Robert Brooks, chairman of Bonhams (third largest auction house in the world) and sports commentator Steve Rider all attended the event. Harvey McGrath the charity’s president and co chairs of the charity gala Allison McGrath and Leni, Lady Miller were also in attendance. Music was provided by Lucinda Belle and her band.

Humphrey Butler, one of the UK’s most successful jewellery dealers did sterling work auctioning lots in aid of the charity. A total of over £410,000.00 was raised for the CFAB over the course of the evening.

 

Honda Syoryu at Tai Modern

 

Michael Abatemarco
Jul 28, 2017

Original article at Santa Fe New Mexican.com

Honda Syoryu: Big Wave, 2016, Madake bamboo and rattan

Tai Modern, 1601 Paseo de Peralta, 505-984-1387
Using traditional basketry techniques, Japanese bamboo artist Honda Syoryu  creates rhythmic, organic sculptural forms that capture a sense of oscillating  movement. Syoryu brings two new bodies of work to Tai Modern for his second solo exhibition: the series Spring and Ring. “When I make my art, I am in constant dialogue with the bamboo,” he said in a statement. “This material’s unique pliability allows me to draw beautiful, naturally curving lines in space.” The exhibit opens Friday, July 28, with a reception at 5 p.m. Syoryu presents a bamboo workshop on Saturday, July 29, at 3 p.m. (by reservation) and at 4 p.m. (walk-in).

Celebrating the next generation of Japanese bamboo artists

by Gary Gach

Original article at Asian Art.com

In conjunction with Masters of Bamboo, the Asian Art Museum held a reception featuring one work each from ten artists considered to be the next generation of this truly amazing art form. This extended display was then kept for a month beyond the week of the reception (February 15–March 18, 2007) before the pieces returned to their owners. More important were the artists themselves, who were present at the event.

At the opening reception, artist Honda Syoryu, a disciple of Kadota Niko, addressed the large reception. He attested to the fact that the bamboo medium takes decades to master, noting that at age 55, he’s “finally about to graduate from of the realm of the younger generation of bamboo artists.”

He echoed the sentiment of his colleagues when he spoke of how the new Western market affords the bamboo artist the freedom to try things they haven’t had the courage to try before. “For me,” he said, “who spent most of my career making traditional flower baskets and offering trays, the encounter with this new American audience has allowed me to make a quantum leap in my art into the realm of free sculpture using the motifs of nature, time and space, and the universe.” Absent from mention was the reality that patronage in Japan is dwindling along with the space of a contemporary home, with seldom room for the luxury of a flower basket anymore.

A little later, we spoke with Nakatomi Hajime, a student of Sensei Honda. Although he looked the youngest, he was dressed in the most traditional Japanese style. Beside him, under glass, was The Sound of the Moon, an ovoid orb with a vertical cylinder down the center. On first glance, it looked very traditional next to many of the free-form creations on display, yet just a breath of modernity changed everything. The strands weren’t plaited right flush against each other, but rather had ample widths of space between them: thus, both the ovoid sphere and the concave cylinder could be viewed simultaneously. He compared the effect to jazz, whose appreciation consists in both the parts and their interrelation to form a whole.

We asked if he’d had an opportunity to see the work of Ruth Asawa while he was here. (Her major retrospective at the De Young had just closed before Masters of Bamboo opened.) His face lit up. It seems the artists all visited the De Young Museum and had their horizons widened to see her work and the catalog from her show. Mr. Nakatomi found her work wonderful and noted the similarities between her work in wire and theirs in bamboo. It was like a bolt of lightning, he recalled, to consider what a trail-blazer she was. He says he now lists her among his favorite artists, along with Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Buckminster Fuller.

Speaking of great people, without question the man of the hour was Mr. Lloyd Cotsen, who invested his attention to this relatively obscure art form when its future was tenuous at best. For this special occasion, he offered Asianart.com the following statement.

“For better or worse, it seems to this outside observer of the art of the Japanese basket maker, the emphasis on a tradition is loosening, thus allowing a flowering of individual artistic interpretation, direction, and innovation. However the discipline and links of these new artists to the old ways are secured by the mentorship of their teachers and by the power of their basket-making heritage. . . . This ensures a continuation of the Japanese basket-making tradition, albeit with the recognition that the future ultimately depends on the creativity of succeeding generations.

“Mentors understand and protect the tradition. The next generation, represented in this exhibition, seeks to bend, if not break, that tradition. These opposing aims create a wonderful dynamic that can be seen in Japanese society as a whole and here in the microcosm of bamboo basket development.”

Also on hand at the event was Koichiro Okada, who worked closely with Asian Art Museum curator Melissa M. Rinne on the Masters of Bamboo exhibition, as liaison, teacher, and collaborator. He told us he agreed with Mr. Cotsen’s notion of a loosening of emphasis on traditional response. He finds it’s true now even in the most conservative school of bamboo art in Japan.

Mr. Okada notes there are two major professional artists organizations to which bamboo artists belong. “One group,” Mr. Oakada points out, “is called Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) and the other is Nihon Kogeikai (Japan Craft Artists Association). While Nitten artists emphases ‘sculptural beauty,’ Nihon Kogeikai artists work in a framework of tradition and craftsmanship. The notion of a creative edge has been very important to Niiten artists, but it is also carries weight to the Nihon Kogeikai artists, especially in recent years.

“Two of the leading bamboo artists in the Nihon Kogeikai are Hayakawa Shokosai V and Katsushiro Soho. Both are Living National Treasures and both favor innovation and imagination in their works. Some of the artists who submit ‘old-style’ baskets recently have been severely criticized by these leaders, and as Mr. Cotsen points out, Hayakawa and Katsushiro nominated two of the raising young stars from the Niiten world for the ‘Next Generation’ event.”

A week later, we caught up with curator Melissa Rinne, and learned that the artists were not only able to absorb a diversity of art as well as meet collectors and lovers of this art form, but also to network amongst themselves. “The event,” she said, “brought together most of the important younger artists in this field for the first time. Though they all knew one another by name and by work, this was the first time that most of them had really spent an extended amount of time talking with their peers about their life work. There were very serious conversations about the future of their art forms, and the artists agreed among themselves to mount an exhibition together, which would be a wonderful breaking through from the traditional divisions within the bamboo artist community, based on the two major artist associations — which have fairly different emphases.”

Last but not least, also present and speaking at the event was Rob Coffland, owner of TAI Gallery, where Mr Okada works. Ten years ago, Lloyd Cotsen had asked him to look for baskets. He recalls he made mistakes at first — buying baskets simply because he liked them. Now he’s not only the expert in the field, but his gallery is in a unique situation of being The One to permanently feature this art form. Thanks to his good eye, sensitivity to the culture, nurturing of good working relations, and selfless devotion, visitors, collectors, artists, and the art itself are in good hands.

We might emphasize that the diverse bonds Mr. Coffland has formed with individual artists are as important as works exhibited or sold. As Lloyd Cotsen points out, “An art is nothing without its artists, for they are the ones responsible for the culture, tradition, and the creativity their work reflects.”

FIRED EARTH, WOVEN BAMBOO

Asian Art Newspaper, , JANUARY 6, 2014

Original article at Asian Art Newspaper.com

THE MUSEUM OF Fine Arts in Boston has recently received a transformative gift of over 90 pieces spanning the late 20th and 21st centuries, given by collectors Stanley and Mary Ann Snider from their Japanese art. This continues the tradition of collectors of Japanese art making donations to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), that have included such gifts from Ernest Fenollosa and William Sturgis Bigelow. Stanley and Mary Ann Snider represent a new generation of Bostonians who want to ensure that visitors to the museum will understand the vibrancy of Japanese art and culture in our own time by viewing their collection of ceramic and bamboo art.

This exhibition, curated using their recent gift,  highlights the craftsmanship and highly creative sculptural forms of Japanese decorative arts. Among the first exhibitions to present contemporary ceramics alongside baskets, Fired Earth, Woven Bamboo offers an in-depth look at 60 objects created by dozens of leading artists based in Japan. Many of the works are on view for the first time and are enhanced by a selection of contemporary textiles, screens and paper panels.

During the late 19th century and into the 20th century, ceramics and bamboo arts in Japan evolved from traditional crafts into modern art forms, as those who produced them evolved from craftspeople into artists. As modernisation continued, a new generation of artists began to assume creative control over the works they produced, creating unique pieces with their own hands, based on their own ideas. Creativity – rather than mere technical excellence – became the standard for an artist’s work.  In ‘basket with bamboo-root handle’ (1930s), for example, Maeda Chikubosai demonstrates an early example of bamboo art as a form of personal expression.

In the years following World War II, avant-garde clay artists in Japan declared that their work no longer had to take the form of traditional vessels. Many of these artists maintained respect for ancient methods and aesthetics, while embracing the non-functionality of their ceramics. The earliest generation of contemporary ceramic artists live through a major turning point in the history of the medium: a shift in creative control from kiln foreman or craftsman to artist, and the ensuing evolution of ceramics from commercial products to works of art. Beginning in the early 20th century, leading ceramicists, while still influenced by traditional approaches, explored the medium as a means of self-expression and gave shape to their own aesthetic sensibilities by working directly with the materials. Akiyama Yo intentionally exploited deformations that would be considered defects in commercial products with Untitled MV-1019 (2010), which purposely employs cracks in the clay to provide a weathered effect. Fukami Sueharu, who brought Japanese ceramic arts to global attention, also adopted inventive approaches to traditional techniques. His The Moment (Shun) (1998) is a keenly edged abstract work of porcelain that slices through space like a knife.

Recently, international praise has centred on pioneering female ceramists. Until the post-war era, virtually no women in Japan were ceramic artists; men feared that the presence of women would pollute their kilns. Koike Shoko was one of the first female graduates of the ceramic department at Tokyo National University of the Arts. Her shell-shaped vessels, such as Shell 95 (1995), were first thrown on a wheel and then sculpted from the clay of the Shigaraki region. Whereas traditional Shigaraki vessels are left unglazed, Koike applies layers of white slip (liquefied clay) to the surface. Sakurai Yasuko, also among the first women to work with clay on a university campus, plays with forms that make the viewer aware of light and shadow in Vertical Flower (2007).

In contrast to ceramic art, contemporary bamboo art continues to be dominated by artists who were trained through apprenticeships, often in regions where bamboo work has traditionally flourished. During the last century, however, the medium has seen great change. Since the 1950s, Japanese bamboo artists have created highly original pieces that transcend utilitarian use and represent independent works of sculpture. Contemporary bamboo art continues to be dominated by artists trained in the facilities or apprenticeships in regions where bamboo work has traditionally flourished, including Oita, Osaka, Shizuoka, Tochigi, and Niigata. Most of the artists whose works are collected (in this exhibition) were trained in or are active in these regions. Despite this adherence to tradition, the medium has greatly evolved and diversified over the last century. As bamboo art focuses not on the application of decoration, but on fashioning the form of the object itself, it calls forth more radical originality from artists seeking innovation.  In the late 19th century and early 20th centuries, the making of Chinese-style baskets flourished, primarily in Osaka, against a background of sencha (tea) ceremony culture. Soon, as with ceramics and other crafts, those who made bamboo works began to gain recognition as artists rather than merely as craftsmen.

By the 1920s, bamboo artists had begun to show their work in public exhibitions such as the Japan Art Exhibition (Nitten), and from the 1950s at the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, which demanded originality from participants.

A novelty introduced by artists working in the style where curving forms predominate is the appearance of quasi-architectural structures, composed of straight lines. This is illustrated in Yako Hodo’s piece in the exhibition – Late Autumn. The more daring and experimental work is done by artists exhibiting in shows such as the Japan Art Exhibition and the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition, along with other artists who are not affiliated with any arts and crafts organisations. Among the artists in this category are Torii Ippo, Honma Hideaki, Watanabe Chiaki, Yamaguchi Ryuun, Shono Tokuzo, Honda Shoryu, Morigami Jin, and Mimura Chikuho. These artists often generate a unique and lyrical sense of movement in their work through the spatial properties of braided structures that make dynamic use of the material’s pliability and elasticity.

In Fire (2011), Yamaguchi Ryuun displays his creative approach by leaving the ends of strips of bamboo unbound, allowing them to spread out and create a voluminous form. Morigami Jin produces shapes that are possible only in bamboo sculpture, his Red Flame (2007) is vessel-like but is transformed into an expression of lines and silhouette in brilliant colours. The development of bamboo works as art – freed entirely from functional use as vessels or baskets – can also be seen in works by Fujitsuka Shosei. Fujitsuka’s pieces span a range from useful objects such as lampshades to the minimalist, elegant flames of Fire (mentioned above). Tori Ippo’s undulating works are far from traditional, functional wares. His Flight (2003), features complex, contrasting bands of twisting bamboo that arc and command the space around them. Another novelty introduced by contemporary bamboo artists, where curving forms predominate, is the appearance of quasi-architectural structures composed of straight lines, such as Yako Hodo’s Late Autumn (2004).

Until 8 September, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, www.mfa.org.

Weaving a tale: Bamboo arts at The Met

Original article at NY Press.com

 

Entering The Met Fifth Avenue’s Arts of Japan galleries, many visitors can’t help but gasp. We did. The guard on duty said it’s a common response. The exhibition title and signage promised bamboo baskets. It didn’t say anything about a floor-to-ceiling twisting mass of frenetic energy in a site-specific installation by Tanabe Chikuunsai IV.”The Gate,” woven of tiger bamboo, torques and twirls like a funnel cloud, or the tendrils of a great vine, or the circulatory system of some unseen giant. It’s at once ethereal and overpowering, weightless and crushing. It’s extraordinary.

At home, our kitchen counter usually holds two or three bamboo baskets filled with bananas and apples or unsorted mail. It was clear from this introduction that the work in the exhibition that followed would have little to do with our everyday experience of bamboo.

Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection” highlights some 90 works in bamboo, from functional baskets to abstract sculptures, that date from the late 1800s to the present. It’s The Met’s first exhibition focusing on basketry, and most of the works have never been on public view before. New York residents Diane and Arthur Abbey have amassed one of the most comprehensive and exquisite collections of a form that has only recently been considered fine art. Yet, six of the artists whose work is on view have been recognized in Japan as Living National Treasures.

From delicate grasses to timber towering five stories high, the more than 60 varieties of bamboo that are native to Japan have become woven into the arts, culture and daily lives of the society for hundreds of years. Its shoots are a dietary staple, and it’s been used to make kitchen utensils, furniture, hats and shoes, transportation devices for everything from medicine to travelers, and even bridges, roads and buildings. Called one of the “three friends of winter,” along with pine and plum trees, bamboo doesn’t succumb to cold, grows quickly, and bestows its gifts to animals and humans with grace. It bends without breaking and is thought of as steadfast and loyal. For all these reasons, the venerable and venerated plant has been depicted and utilized by artists for ages.

One of the pleasures of the exhibition is the engaging way that curator, Monika Bincsik, has woven the Abbeys’s baskets through a presentation of The Met’s superb collection of screens, woodblock prints, Inrō containers, manuscripts and ceramics. Each gallery contains conversations between basketry and other objects, expressed in the language of bamboo, but with almost infinite dialects and inflections. One case presenting a glorious painted manuscript had me wondering what it was doing there, until I read the title of the story: “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.” Bamboo imagery throughout the galleries decorates delicate fans, massive folding screens and antique porcelains.

But it’s the baskets that carry the exhibition. Many were created to hold ikebana floral arrangements, a classical art of spiritual refinement. They range from minutely detailed to radically abstract, and from traditional to uncompromisingly contemporary. “Tide,” a 1978 work by Fujitsuka Shōsei, displaying the “thousand line” technique is beautifully placed in front of a screen decorated with painted bamboo leaves. Nagakura Ken’ichi’s “Woman Flower Basket,” tall and spindly, recalls a Giacometti figure. A dramatically lit, black-lined case holding two objects is a show stopper. In “Wave,” created by Monden Kōgyoku in 1981, a rolling mass of energy coils in on itself. Next to it is the 2000 work, “Dance,” by Honda Shōryū. It pliés and twirls with elegance, precision and grace.

“Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection” presents a sweeping view across centuries and media with spectacular forms expressing a humble and hardy, but hardly plain plant.

Craftsmanship takes centre stage at The Met’s Japanese bamboo art exhibition

The Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art demonstrates the transmission of the tradition from generation to generation using art.

Tide by Fujitsuka Shosei; Photo Courtesy: Fujitsuka Shosei

Original article at Architectural Digest.com

With this exhibition, what comes to the foreground is the difference in viewing objects. Objects that for hundreds of years were considered simple, everyday utensils now have a place at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These refined bamboo vessels have been made using local traditions and techniques passed down from generation to generation. It was around the 19th century that bamboo craftsmanship began to be recognised as one of the traditional Japanese decorative arts, and later as an art form.

Flow by Yamaguchi Ryuun
Flow by Yamaguchi Ryuun; Photo Courtesy: Yamaguchi Ryuun

This traveling exhibition is devoted to recognising masterworks of Japanese bamboo art and has more than 90 objects on display, featuring work by six artists who have been designated as ‘Living National Treasures’. A monumental site specific installation by Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, highlights key stages in the modern history of Japanese bamboo art. The objects on display are from The Diane and Arthur Abbey Collection and is one of the finest collections of Japanese bamboo sculptures; 70 pieces—some of which have never been seen before—from the collection have been promised as gifts to The Met.

Dance by Honda Syoryu
Dance by Honda Syōryū; Photo Courtesy: Honda Syōryū

Organised by geography—Kansai, Kantō, and Kyūshū—the exhibition features masterworks by artists of the Meiji (1868–1912) and Taishō (1912–1926) periods. The show will also feature pieces by modern bamboo artists. The works will be augmented by a selection of paintings and decorative arts exploring related themes, such as the four seasons, floral compositions (ikebana), and the tea ceremony. The exhibition also includes work by Iizuka Rōkansai, who has created innovative works that became the foundation for contemporary bamboo art.

Highlights of the exhibition includes a basket for transporting the sencha tea ceremony utensils (1877–80s), by Hayakawa Shōkosai I (1815–1897. Moon reflected on water (1929), by Sakaguchi Sōunsai (1899–1967), which is the first bamboo work accepted into a public, government-sponsored art exhibition, in 1929. An offering or fruit tray made of smoked timber bamboo is an early work by Shōno Shōunsai (1904–1974), who, in 1967, became the first Living National Treasure of bamboo art. A conceptual piece, Autumn breeze (2014) by Uematsu Chikuyū and Flowing pattern (2014) by Honma Hideaki, are award-winning pieces that incorporate a flexible bamboo species called men’yadake.The exhibition is on display from June 13, 2017 to February 4, 2018 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue, Galleries 224–232, Arts of Japan, The Sackler Wing Galleries.

Western taste for bamboo art is transforming an ancient Japanese tradition

CNN, Written by Oscar Holland; Contributor: Yoko Wakatsuki, Updated 11th January 2018

Credit: Minoura Chikuhō

When Japan opened up to the world in the middle of the 19th century, Western merchant ships were quick to return home with exotic art from the once reclusive nation. The private galleries and curiosity shops of London and Paris were flooded with Japanese woodblock prints, calligraphy and ceramics. But one traditional art form was, in retrospect, conspicuous by its absence — woven bamboo baskets.

At the time, bamboo weaving was still viewed in the context of the practical tools it yielded — ropes, kitchen utensils, baskets and boxes. Despite requiring decades of mastery and being steeped in centuries of tradition, the craft had been passed between generations and was not considered an elite art.

Artists wouldn’t even sign their creations, as — having adopted the practice from China — they feared a Japanese name would damage the value of the work.

Growing Western demand

In recent years, however, the West has developed a growing taste for this intricate art form, with some pieces selling for tens of thousands of dollars.

Bringing together more than 70 bamboo artworks, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s current exhibition “Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection” is just the latest example of how overseas interest in bamboo is matching and, arguably, outweighing that in Japan.

"Dancing Frog Flower Basket (Hanakago)" (1918) by Hayakawa Shokosai III.
“Dancing Frog Flower Basket (Hanakago)” (1918) by Hayakawa Shokosai III. Credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art

“In Japan they only show bamboo art in conjunction with other crafts — no one in Tokyo or Kyoto is doing bamboo-only exhibitions,” said Andreas Marks, Director of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ Clark Center and curator of the traveling exhibition, “Modern Twist: Contemporary Japanese Bamboo Art.”

Tracing Western interest back to the 1980s, Marks attributes the growing popularity of Japanese bamboo art to the dedication of a small number of American collectors. Among them, he names the late Lloyd Cotsen, the former president of cosmetics giant Neutrogena, who assembled — and regularly loaned out — a huge collection of bamboo baskets.

"Vortex" (2017) by Yamaguchi Ryuun.
“Vortex” (2017) by Yamaguchi Ryuun. Credit: TAI Modern

Marks also said that contemporary bamboo artists are now creating work specifically for Western markets. He explicitly credits TAI Modern — a gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, specializing in Japanese bamboo art and baskets — with keeping the tradition alive.

“(TAI Modern) was pivotal for artists in Japan, because a new platform was created,” Marks said in a phone interview. “Americans love sculpture, so suddenly Japanese artists are faced with freedom to create new forms and to create things that they hadn’t done before. They can express themselves and go into new areas. And, if they’re lucky, then (TAI Modern) takes them on, does a solo show and markets them in the US.”

Modern interpretations

Today, TAI Modern houses a huge collection of woven items demonstrating the art form’s versatility — from delicate and symmetrical boxes to irregular baskets made from thick, coarse-looking bamboo. Contemporary artists still draw on the tradition’s utilitarian roots, creating vases and other usable items. But the material is also apt for more abstract expressions.

This is an approach increasingly explored by Japanese artists in the postwar period, according to the gallery’s director, Margo Thoma. “I think of it all as this kind of sculpture — even when it takes the form of something that could be functional,” she said in a phone interview. “Whether or not you use them, they are works of art.”

"Floating Wheels" (2017) by Honda Syoryu.
“Floating Wheels” (2017) by Honda Syoryu. Credit: TAI Modern

Strong, yet lightweight and flexible, bamboo is a challenging material to work with. Mastering the art involves not only weaving the bamboo, but harvesting, processing, dyeing and splicing it. Yet, it has huge potential to be expressive.

“(Bamboo weaving) is highly technical,” Thoma said. “Before you can begin to make something, you have to prepare the material, and the majority of time taken making any basket or sculpture is spent splitting the bamboo. With bamboo, it takes years of training to even be able to create the strips that you weave baskets from.”

Japanese artist Fujitsuka Shosei works on a bamboo basket in his studio.
Japanese artist Fujitsuka Shosei works on a bamboo basket in his studio. Credit: TAI Modern

“Bamboo artists are passionate about (their material) in a way I don’t really see in other media. With painters there’s more of an interest in the end product than a passionate love for acrylic paint, for instance. But there does seem to be a (unique) fascination with bamboo, a material that has so many opposing qualities — it’s simple but also really strong; it can be both powerful and delicate.”

An endangered art

"Peerless Fruit or Offering Tray (Morikago)" (2012) by Noboru Fujinuma.
“Peerless Fruit or Offering Tray (Morikago)” (2012) by Noboru Fujinuma. Credit: Noboru Fujinuma

Bamboo weaving nonetheless remains a fringe art in Japan. TAI Modern believes that there are fewer than 50 full-time professional bamboo artists making original works in the country today. And, of those, only two masters have been named a “Living National Treasure” — a government accolade recognizing cultural figures who help preserve Japan’s ancient traditions.

One of them, Noboru Fujinuma, fears that his art is being forgotten. “Japanese bamboo art is now coming to its limit in its originality,” he said in a phone interview. “There are not many young artists coming up with creativity and their own aesthetic sense. The population of bamboo craftsmen is declining and they tend to dwell on being craftsmen who can create from design drawings, but cannot create designs for great pieces of art.”

"Dream" (2005) by Noboru Fujinuma.
“Dream” (2005) by Noboru Fujinuma. Credit: TAI Modern

Fujinuma claims that his work is more appreciated in overseas markets than in Japan. But he hopes that foreign interest can help bolster the art’s standing and popularity in his home country. For this bamboo master, there is no substitute for his favored material.

“Bamboo art is simple, and that’s why it shows the deepest aesthetic and human quality of the artists,” he said. “Each stick of bamboo is different. Understanding each piece and what you will create out of them — that’s the charm of bamboo art.”

Honda Syoryu Essay

When I first learned that bamboo artist Honda Syoryu studied under Kadota Niko, I was puzzled. Kadota Niko, a prominent member of the Iwao lineage, worked in the traditional style of the Beppu region and was known for his imposing, extremely intricate jar-shaped flower baskets. Honda is recognized primarily as a sculptor, and even the vessels he made in his early career had an artistic style and sensitivity that felt modern, innovative and foreign to Beppu. I wondered if Honda was rebelling against his teacher and the regional tradition he had been taught. However, I soon began to feel the spirit of Kadota Niko in his work. I no longer see Honda’s sculptures as a rejection of tradition but an embrace and evolution of a great bamboo art legacy.

Much of Honda’s work has drawn upon two very basic plaiting techniques – twining and twill plaiting. These age-old techniques have been used in Beppu to make baskets and boxes for over a century. Honda uses these ordinary techniques to extraordinary effect. By controlling the width and thickness of his twined bamboo strips and altering the spacing between each row, Honda transforms what would be a simple cylinder into the dynamic, undulating shapes of his signature “Dance” series. In his “Rhythm” series, he rolls up a length of flat twill plaiting into a tube, which he bends and ties into an elegant, looping composition. Though these techniques have been used for hundreds, if not thousands of years, no one ever used them in the ways Honda does.

In his second solo exhibition at TAI Modern, Honda is introducing two brand-new series. In the “Spring” series, a synthesis of two earlier bodies of work, Honda bundles and coils airy twined tubes into free-form shapes. Also new is the “Ring” series. Other than Honda, who else could create something fresh out of the bullseye plaiting (rinko-ami) technique which has been used as the base of baskets for centuries!

Honda uses some of the most common techniques passed down from early basket makers, yet he is able to adapt these traditional techniques to create completely original sculptural forms. In this, Honda is an embodiment of a core tenet of Japan’s craft art – the marriage of continuity and change.

PRESS RELEASE: TAI Modern at Asia Week New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

TAI Modern at Asia Week New York
Realization of Form: Masterworks of Japanese Bamboo Art
March 15th– 24th, 2018

Exhibiting at Jason Jacques Gallery
29 East 73rd St, Apt. 1
New York, NY  10021

NEW YORK, NEW YORK—TAI Modern is pleased to announce its participation in Asia Week New York 2018. The exhibition, Realization of Form: Masterworks of Japanese Bamboo Art, will be on view March 15-23 at Jason Jacques Gallery, 29 East 73rd St, Apt. 1, New York, NY. An opening party will take place Friday, March 16th, 6-9 pm.

For TAI Modern’s first year participating in Asia Week, the gallery will present both historic and contemporary works which exemplify the dialogue that occurs between the artist and the bamboo. “Bamboo art is a material specific art,” Director of Japanese Art Koichi Okada explains. “This exhibition explores the relationship between artists and their chosen medium. Monozukuriis a term often used by Japanese artists and craftsmen. It can be described as ‘the process of creating an object in harmony with the medium through pride of craftmanship.’”

Veteran artists often speak of the necessity of listening to the bamboo. One might wait years to find the right bamboo for a basket or the right form for a particular piece of bamboo. Artist Tanioka Aiko described her bond with the material, saying “This medium gives me joy and challenges me…Bamboo is both delicate and powerful. It is not a tame material to shape according to my desire. It gives me joy when my will and the will of the bamboo fit together nicely.”

Among the more than 30 bamboo artists in the exhibition are noteworthies such as 101-year old Monden Kogyoku, Living National Treasure Fujinuma Noboru, and cult-favorite Tanioka Shigeo, each of whom excel at expressing the unique character of bamboo. These artists are in several major American museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Asian Art Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

TAI Modern has been the premier gallery for contemporary Japanese bamboo art for over 20 years, and currently represents over 35 artists in this medium. During Asia Week New York, TAI Modern’s exhibition at Jason Jacques Gallery will be available for viewing Monday through Saturday from 10am-6pm or by appointment.

For more information, please contact Arianna Borgeson at arianna@taimodern.comor (505) 984-1387.

  • TAI Modern at Asia Week New York 2024
    March 14, 2024–March 22, 2024
  • Mountains & Sky
    November 19, 2021–December 31, 2021
  • Winter Shadows
    December 1, 2020–December 31, 2020
  • Honda Syoryu
    July 28, 2017–August 20, 2017
  • Masterpieces of Japanese Bamboo Art
    June 14, 2017–July 6, 2017

Tuesday–Saturday
10am–5pm

 

1601 Paseo de Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 984 1387

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